Dr. Kurt's Place

12/19/2025

🧠Everyone’s talking about nervous system regulation lately.

And don’t get me wrong — it matters.

But here’s the part that keeps getting skipped:

A regulated nervous system doesn’t automatically mean a healthy, capable body.

If you lived in fight-or-flight (or shutdown) for years, your body adapted to survive — not to thrive.�
That adaptation leaves a metabolic mess behind.

So when someone says:�“I’m calmer now… but I’m still exhausted.”

That’s not failure.�That’s physiology.

Regulation restores safety.�Metabolism restores capacity.

Calm without capacity looks like:�• Grounded but foggy�• Relaxed but weak�• Better — but not resilient

I wrote a piece on what actually comes after nervous system regulation — and why feeling safe is just the beginning.

🔗 https://kurtperkins.substack.com/p/regulated-nervous-systemnow-what

Calm isn’t the goal. ☺️�Capacity is. 💪

The goal was never permanent recovery mode. The goal was resilience.

12/19/2025

An adulting reminder you’ll thank yourself for later 👀

Thorne, and several of our supplement partners are increasing prices in the new year.

Not because of trends. Not because of marketing. Because costs are up across the board.

If you:
• Already take supplements consistently
• Have FSA money that disappears on December 31
• Prefer planning over scrambling

This is your nudge.

No pressure. No “buy everything.”

Just a chance to be proactive instead of surprised.

And yes—your unused FSA dollars will happily vanish if you don’t use them. Supplements you already need are one of the cleaner, smarter ways to spend them.

Not sure what qualifies for FSA or what’s worth stocking up on? Ask us before you buy.

https://www.thorne.com/u/drkurt

12/16/2025

I don’t sell hacks. ⚖️

2026 isn’t about more information.It’s about responsibility.

We have more credentials.We have more technology.We have more noise.

And still—people are exhausted, foggy, and frustrated.

That’s not a motivation problem.It’s a systems problem. ⚙️

I put my full stance into a Health Manifesto for 2026—what I believe, how I work, and who this approach is for.

If you’re done chasing trends and ready for structure, sequencing, and implementation, start here.

👉 Read the manifesto:
https://kurtperkins.substack.com/p/responsibility-authority-health-manifesto

More Health. Less Healthcare.
Be the research. Rewrite the rules. 🔬✍️

12/10/2025

🧬 “New” research just reframed how I think about probiotics.

I say “new” because it’s new to me — the strain was actually identified back in 2002. But it might be a game-changer for the same types of people who walk into my office with gut and immune challenges.

Researchers at the University of Chicago found one bacterium missing in infants with milk allergies but present in those who could tolerate milk: Anaerostipes caccae (aka Anaerobutyricum caccae).

When they gave this one strain to germ-free mice, everything changed:

⚡️Butyrate levels normalized

🧱Gut barrier tightened

🧫Mucin layer thickened

🛡️Immune tolerance returned

In other words — a single microbe restored gut and immune balance usually dependent on an entire ecosystem.

That’s why this strain is being called a keystone species and the butyrate-producing champion.

And what makes it even more fascinating — it thrives even when fiber doesn’t.

If you struggle with:
* post-antibiotic gut issues
* fiber intolerance
* keto/carnivore adaptation
* sorbitol or sugar-alcohol sensitivity
* dairy reactivity

…this discovery might shift the way you look at “gut healing” altogether.

I unpack the science — and why it matters for real-world clients — in my latest Substack post.

👇[Read the full article on Substack →]

https://kurtperkins.substack.com/p/a-potential-game-changer-for-gut

12/03/2025

“Before You Panic About Your LDL…”

I recently signed up for SuperPower to get some updated labs. And like anyone who enjoys a good ego boost, I wouldn’t mind someone telling me I’m biologically younger than my driver’s license says.

I turn 47 at the end of the month.
My biological age?
Just over 41.
I’ll take it.

But my “SuperPower Score”?
An 86.
A B/B+ at best.
Ouch. Why?

Two words: my lipids.

Before you let a lab algorithm convince you you’re one step away from a heart attack…

Ask this one question:

“What do my arteries actually look like?”

My LDL markers are high.
My ApoB is elevated.
My LDL-P is through the roof.

But my Coronary Artery Calcium scan?

0. Zero. Nada. Clean.

High LDL can be a contributor, not a cause.

Inflammation, insulin resistance, and endothelial dysfunction are what give LDL the permission slip to cause damage.

Broke the whole thing down here — including why your “scary” cholesterol number might not mean what you think:

https://kurtperkins.substack.com/p/my-superpower-labs-just-came-back

11/24/2025

💉 Bloodwork is getting disrupted — and honestly, I’m here for it.

Tech keeps making labs cheaper and more accessible. And this year, more of my clients are showing up with labs they ordered from 3rd-party companies like Function.
�
Great for data… not always great for understanding the data.
That’s where I usually come in.
�
But now? Some companies are doing my job too — and doing it well.

One in particular caught my attention. 🚀
�
For $199, you get 100+ biomarkers, a plan of action, recommendations, and access to a care team. (That’s significantly cheaper than Function and far more thorough than primary care.)

Can I match that price? Nope.�
Am I threatened? Also nope.

If I’m going to preach More Health Less Healthcare and Be The Research, then I can’t get upset when someone builds something bigger, faster, and cheaper.

So instead of protecting my ego…�I’m partnering with them.
�
Because this is the direction healthcare is going — and I want my people ahead of the curve.

https://partners.superpower.com/dr-kurt

11/13/2025

If you love a man — a husband, a father, a brother, a son, or a friend — this matters.

Every November we hear the same messages: “Just talk.” “Break the silence.” “Open up.”

But a major national investigation found something completely different:

91% of men who died by su***de did seek help.

They reached out. They talked. They showed up. And most were labeled “low risk.”

Men aren’t dying because they refuse to open up.

They’re dying because the systems we tell them to use weren’t built for the way men process fear, responsibility, or identity loss.

Men don’t need more awareness months. They need support that actually works. They need tools. They need capability. They need a path forward.

Here’s something I think a lot of men have been waiting for someone to finally say out loud.

Read the full piece → https://kurtperkins.substack.com/p/mens-mental-health-awareness-cute

11/04/2025

🧬 “New” research just reframed how I think about probiotics.

I say “new” because it’s new to me — the strain was actually identified back in 2002. But its rediscovery might be a game-changer for the same types of people who walk into my office with gut and immune challenges.

Researchers at the University of Chicago found one bacterium missing in infants with milk allergies but present in those who could tolerate milk: Anaerostipes caccae (aka Anaerobutyricum caccae).

When they gave this one strain to germ-free mice, everything changed:�
⚡️Butyrate levels normalized�
🧱Gut barrier tightened�
🧫Mucin layer thickened�
🛡️Immune tolerance returned

In other words — a single microbe restored gut and immune balance usually dependent on an entire ecosystem.

That’s why this strain is being called a keystone species and the butyrate-producing champion.

And what makes it even more fascinating — it thrives even when fiber doesn’t.

If you struggle with:
* post-antibiotic gut issues
* fiber intolerance
* keto/carnivore adaptation
* sorbitol or sugar-alcohol sensitivity
* dairy reactivity

…this discovery might shift the way you look at “gut healing” altogether.

I unpack the science — and why it matters for real-world clients — in my latest Substack post.�👇�[Read the full article on Substack →] https://kurtperkins.substack.com/p/a-potential-game-changer-for-gut

10/21/2025

***UPDATE***

To the previous 🚨Public Service Announcement🚨post.

Client got retested. Got labs while fasted and didn’t workout over the weekend.

These small actions paint a different picture.

Triglycerides: 424 → 133
VLDL: 76 → 24

The original post was just to highlight that what you do prior to your lab draw will impact your values. These values subsequently impact what recommendations your provider will give you and/or how insurance companies will rate you (life and health premiums).

Your lab prep is as important as your lab results. You can only have good data if you get good data.

10/20/2025

I entered the chiropractic profession 20 years ago believing we were going to put health back in healthcare.

In those early days, we didn’t just adjust spines — we talked lifestyle, nutrition, movement, even mindset. We believed we were keeping people out of the medical system by keeping them in our “healthcare” system.

We were told that a silent subluxation was a ticking time bomb. That a dime’s weight on a nerve could mean heart disease, cancer, or worse. The message was clear: fear sells care.
For years, I bought in. Until one day, on a conference call, a mentor said:

“People in your community are dying because you haven’t gotten the message of chiropractic to them.”

That was my breaking point. The shame of not doing enough left. The BS meter went off.

Health doesn’t come from fear or guilt. It comes from empowerment and ownership.

So I quietly stepped away — not from the practice, but from the profession’s corporate mindset. I stopped going to conferences that led with fear and started following curiosity, physiology, and personal responsibility instead.

Is the adjustment powerful? Absolutely.
Is it preventing illness? That’s harder to prove.
Is the profession leading the wellness movement? After 20 years, I haven’t seen it.

What are we, really? Spinal technicians? Wellness leaders? Both? Neither?

Until we find a common purpose, it’ll stay every chiropractor for themselves — and that’s not leadership, that’s survival.

🧭 Full reflection on Substack: https://kurtperkins.substack.com/p/for-the-chiropractic-professionwhat



10/15/2025

🚨Public Service Announcement🚨

Your lab prep is as important as your lab results. You can only have good data if you get good data. Lab markers like cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, and HDL are highly sensitive to recent lifestyle choices.

Client sends me these labs from their primary care. “Should I be concerned?”

Were you fasted? Did you do any intense exercise the 36 hours prior to labs?

Not fasted, plus a HIIT workout.

Re-do.

If you want good data…

* No hard exercise, no alcohol, have excessively long travel, not be sick, no supplements, at least 48 hours prior. Nothing novel.
* Fast: No caffeine, no tea, no coffee for at least 12 hours.
* Get blood drawn at the same time of day each time, within an hour.
* Hydration status. Dehydration will impact ALL markers.
* Athletes: No hard lower body exercise for 5 days prior. No hard upper body for 3 days prior.

09/23/2025

💡 AI isn’t making us dumber—it’s exposing whether we know how to communicate clearly.

Most people use ChatGPT (or Claude, or whichever AI) like it’s Google search. Type something vague, get something vague back.

The key? Treat AI like a 10-year savant. Brilliant, but needs clear instructions to shine.

That’s why I use the R-C-R-Q format when prompting:
🔹 Role – Who should AI be?
🔹 Context – What details matter?
🔹 Request – What exactly do you want?
🔹 Questions – Always invite clarifying questions.

In my new article, I walk you through this framework + share 3 copy-and-paste prompts you can start using today for:
🥗 Meal planning
💪 Fitness routines
🧠 Mindset coaching

👉 Read the full breakdown here: https://kurtperkins.substack.com/p/3-prompts-to-drop-into-your-favorite