Dr. Kurt's Place

02/03/2026

What if autoimmune disease isn’t self-attack—but overprotection?

We’ve been taught that the immune system “turns on itself.”

That it’s confused.
Broken.
Out of control.

But antibodies don’t just appear. They respond to something.

Sharks don’t show up unless there’s blood in the water.

In autoimmunity, the real question isn’t
👉 “How do we suppress the immune system?”

It’s👉 “Why are tissues breaking down and leaking antigens into the bloodstream?”

When tissues are deficient or chronically exposed to stressors—nutritional, chemical, emotional, mechanical—the immune system does what it’s designed to do: protect.

Functional medicine doesn’t focus on killing sharks. It focuses on reducing the blood in the water.

Stronger tissues.
Less overprotection.
Quieter immune signals.

Full breakdown + real client examples in today’s Substack.

🔗 https://kurtperkins.substack.com/p/autoimmune-disease

01/30/2026

Statins, CAC Scores, and an Inconvenient Finding…

You’re told your cholesterol is high.�You’re told you need a statin. 💊

Then your CAC score comes back zero.

Now what?

What if you DO have some plaque? 🫀Does that automatically mean you’re on a statin for the rest of your life?

What rarely gets mentioned:�statins have been shown to increase coronary calcium scores,�which complicates how we interpret “risk.”

Fear comes from isolated numbers.�Strategy comes from context.

If your labs and imaging don’t align,�that’s not failure — that’s information.

This is where the conversation gets interesting.

Full piece over on my Substack.

🔗https://kurtperkins.substack.com/p/statins-cac-scores-and-an-inconvenient

01/15/2026

The clients weren’t going to let us put up a Bills helmet quietly. Enter the Broncos mini helmet. It’s autographed by Jake Plummer no less.

01/14/2026

OMG guys…I can’t believe I’m a week late in wishing this little stud a happy birthday and happy gotcha day. January 7, 2013. 🎉🥳

You came into our lives 13 YEARS ago. You’re a teenager now. I can’t even believe it. Where has the time gone?

You’ve been steadfast, loyal, and faithful in your commitment to just sit on my shelf and not rot away, stink up the clinic, or attract critters.

We love you little Wilber. Here’s to countless more years to come.

01/12/2026

We know we’re in the heart of Broncos country. Inside these walls this week, we might be perceived as the enemy.

Buffalo famously run into approaching storms, rather than away from them. Horses instinctively move away from the worst of the storm, facing their hindquarters into the wind and rain to protect their sensitive faces.

Go Bills! Beat those ponies.

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