What if a scan could reveal something about your health that you never knew was there?

Most people wait until something feels wrong to start looking for answers. But what if there were another way to learn more about what's happening inside your body?

In this episode of Not So Taboo, Dr. Nick sits down with Dr. Vanessa Branch, board-certified radiologist and founder of Verilux in Rogers, Arkansas, to uncover the fascinating world of full-body MRI screening, early detection, and the future of preventive healthcare.

We're getting into the questions everyone should be asking:

• Can a full-body MRI detect potential health problems before symptoms appear?

• What can an MRI actually find, and what can it miss?

• How is artificial intelligence changing the way we evaluate brain health, body composition, and aging?

• Why does insurance sometimes make getting an MRI so difficult?

• Are full-body MRIs worth the investment?

• What happens when a scan discovers something unexpected?

Dr. Branch also shares the personal experiences that inspired her to launch Verilux, why interpreting your results with a radiologist matters, and how advanced imaging can complement traditional healthcare.

This isn't about replacing your doctor or your regular screenings. It's about understanding the possibilities, limitations, and questions surrounding a rapidly evolving area of medicine.

If you're interested in longevity, biohacking, preventive health, or simply taking a more proactive approach to your well-being, this conversation is for you.

Learn more about Verilux: https://veriluxhealth.com

Follow Not So Taboo with Dr. Nick for unfiltered conversations about longevity, aesthetics, sexual health, and the science of living better.

Disclaimer: This episode is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice.

Having a baby changes your body dramatically, so why does postpartum care so often amount to a single visit around six weeks later?

Dr. Nick is joined by Scarlett Grandy, Rejuvenated Medical Spa’s newest nurse practitioner and certified nurse midwife, who brings more than 20 years of experience caring for women. Together, they discuss why postpartum recovery should be viewed as an entire season of care rather than something that ends at the six-week checkup.

Scarlett breaks down what she calls the fourth trimester and the five major areas she believes deserve attention during the postpartum year: hormone recovery, metabolic health, pelvic floor and core recovery, mental wellness, and sexual health. They also discuss how sleep deprivation, breastfeeding, changing relationship dynamics, and shifting identity can affect both women and their partners.

The conversation also gets into the topics women often feel uncomfortable discussing after childbirth, including painful intercourse, vaginal dryness, urinary leakage, pelvic floor changes, and changes in sexual function. Dr. Nick and Scarlett discuss approaches used at Rejuvenated, including pelvic floor physical therapy, topical hormones when appropriate, platelet-rich plasma treatments, and ThermiVa radiofrequency therapy.

They also explain why nutrition and recovery matter so much during breastfeeding, why protein and other nutrients play an important role in healing, and how pregnancy can affect thyroid function, insulin resistance, blood pressure, and metabolism.

Plus, they discuss diastasis recti, rebuilding core strength, electrical muscle stimulation, pelvic floor rehabilitation, and why the goal shouldn’t simply be to “get your pre-baby body back.” The bigger goal is helping women become strong, healthy, comfortable, and confident in the body they have after childbirth.

Postpartum recovery doesn’t stop at six weeks, and it’s never too late to start addressing the changes pregnancy and childbirth left behind.

Websites:
RejuvenatedMedSpa.com
Maverick-MensHealth.com

Sleep might be one of the most important parts of your health, yet millions of people treat it like it’s optional.

Dr. Nick is joined by Molly Davis, nurse practitioner at Rejuvenated Medical Spa and Maverick Men’s Health, to break down what actually happens to your body and brain when you don’t get enough quality sleep.

They dive into the different stages of sleep, why deep sleep and REM sleep matter so much, how much sleep adults actually need, and why staring at your phone right before bed may be working directly against your body’s natural sleep cycle.

Then things get even more interesting. Poor sleep doesn’t just make you tired. They discuss research connecting sleep deprivation with slower reaction times, impaired driving, memory problems, mood changes, poor decision-making, increased hunger, weight gain, higher cortisol, and cravings for calorie-dense foods.

They also break down some of the most common sleep aids, including melatonin, magnesium glycinate, L-theanine, trazodone, Benadryl, Ambien, benzodiazepines, valerian root, passionflower, and more, including why some popular options may not be ideal for long-term use.

Plus, they explain practical ways to improve your sleep without immediately reaching for a prescription, including better sleep hygiene, consistent bedtimes, limiting screens, meal and alcohol timing, morning exercise, light exposure, and creating a bedroom your brain actually associates with sleep.

If you’re exercising, eating well, taking supplements, and doing everything else “right” but still ignoring your sleep, you may be overlooking one of the biggest pieces of your health.

Websites:
RejuvenatedMedSpa.com
Maverick-MensHealth.com

Losing weight is one thing. Losing weight while protecting your muscle, strength, and long-term health is something completely different.

Dr. Nick sits down with former world-class athlete Dominique Blake and DT Wellness Director of Operations Chelsea to announce a new partnership focused on bringing medical care, fitness, nutrition, accountability, and preventative wellness together under one approach.

The conversation dives into GLP-1 weight-loss medications and the importance of preserving muscle, including the story of a patient who lost 22 pounds—but seven pounds of it was muscle. They explain why simply eating less isn't the goal, how strength training can act like a "401(k) for your body," and why healthspan matters just as much as lifespan.

They also discuss sustainable weight loss, supplementation, body composition, nutrition, resistance training, accountability, and why the best wellness plan isn't necessarily the most extreme one—it's the one you can actually maintain.

Plus, Dominique and Chelsea introduce the concierge approach behind DT Wellness and explain how their new partnership with Maverick Men's Health and Rejuvenated Medical Spa will give clients a more complete, personalized approach to looking better, feeling better, and staying healthier for the long haul.

Because the goal isn't just to lose weight. It's to build a body—and a lifestyle—that will serve you for decades.

Learn more about DT Wellness:
dvbdiamondtraining.com

Dr. Nick is back on the podcast to talk about sleep, one of his five pillars of health, and why it is one of the most underrated parts of optimal wellness. The episode opens with the big question: how much sleep do adults actually need? Dr. Nick explains that most adults need seven to nine hours per night, while only a very small percentage of people can truly function well on less.

The conversation gets into why sleep timing matters, how circadian rhythm affects the body, and why shift workers, truck drivers, and construction workers can be especially vulnerable to poor health patterns because of disrupted schedules, irregular meals, stress, and lack of recovery. Dr. Nick also explains that chronic sleep deprivation can affect cortisol, adrenaline, and overall wellness.

One of the most eye-opening parts of the episode is the connection between lack of sleep and impaired driving. Dr. Nick shares that staying awake for 17 hours can affect the body similarly to alcohol impairment, and sleeping less than seven hours can significantly increase crash risk. He also shares stories from his years in emergency medicine, including working extremely long shifts and not remembering the drive home.

The episode also breaks down sleep medications and supplements. Dr. Nick explains that medications like Benadryl, NyQuil, Ambien, and other sleep aids may help someone fall asleep, but they can interfere with normal sleep stages. He also talks about melatonin, why many people take far too much, and why he prefers lower-dose options combined with ingredients like B6, 5-HTP, L-theanine, and magnesium.

Dr. Nick walks through the stages of sleep, including light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep, and explains why REM is so important for memory, recovery, and brain health. He also talks about how sleep apnea, certain medications, and frequent waking can prevent people from getting into restorative sleep.

The episode also covers some scarier effects of poor sleep, including increased appetite, sugar cravings, obesity risk, blood sugar changes, heart disease risk, dementia risk, and weakened performance in school, work, driving, and daily life. Dr. Nick shares research showing that even a few nights of short sleep can make healthy young men respond to sugar more like someone with pre-diabetes.

Toward the end, the conversation gets practical with sleep hygiene tips: reduce screen time before bed, avoid blue light, get natural light during the day, keep the room cool and dark, avoid late caffeine and alcohol, create a wind-down routine, use the bed mainly for sleep and sex, and try meditation, breathing exercises, stretching, magnesium, or L-theanine when needed. Dr. Nick also talks about tools like the Oura Ring for tracking sleep trends, while cautioning that wearable sleep data is not always perfect.

Overall, this episode is a clear reminder that sleep is not optional recovery time. It affects your brain, hormones, appetite, metabolism, safety, immune system, and long-term health — so as Dr. Nick says, get some sleep.

Ivermectin has become one of the most controversial medications of the past decade—but what does the science actually say?

In this episode, Brock sits down with Molly, nurse practitioner at Maverick Men's Health and Rejuvenated Medical Spa, to separate fact from fiction. Together, they explore ivermectin's fascinating history, including its Nobel Prize-winning role in treating parasitic diseases that have impacted millions around the world.

They also discuss:

• Why ivermectin became such a politically charged topic
• The difference between veterinary and human formulations
• How ivermectin works inside the body
• Current research on cancer, longevity, metabolism, and inflammation
• What studies actually show about ivermectin and COVID-19
• The potential risks, side effects, and why self-medicating isn't the answer
• When ivermectin may have a place in medicine—and when it probably doesn't

This is a balanced, evidence-based conversation designed to cut through the headlines and help you better understand one of the most talked-about medications in modern healthcare. Whether you're skeptical, curious, or simply want the facts, this episode is for you.

What if your random symptoms are not random at all?

In this episode, Dr. Nick and Molly Davis from Maverick Men’s Health and Rejuvenated Medical Spa break down one of the most overlooked health issues they are seeing more and more in patients: histamine intolerance. It is often confused with allergies or even mast cell activation syndrome, but for many people, the real issue may be that their body is carrying more histamine than it can break down.

They explain why histamine is not “bad.” In fact, your body needs it for immunity, digestion, stomach acid, brain function, sleep, and fighting infections. The problem starts when the system overflows — almost like a sink that cannot drain fast enough. That overflow can show up as headaches, flushing, hives, congestion, diarrhea, dizziness, anxiety, heart rate changes, insomnia, fatigue, hormone issues, and feeling constantly on edge.

Dr. Nick and Molly also talk about why this seems to be showing up more often after COVID, how gut inflammation can drive the problem, and why high-histamine foods like alcohol, fermented foods, yogurt, sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, avocado, chocolate, shellfish, smoked meats, deli meats, vinegar, canned foods, certain nuts, beans, and leftovers can make symptoms worse for some people.

The episode goes deep into the gut-histamine connection, including DAO enzyme issues, food sensitivities, SIBO, mold toxicity, mycotoxins, hormone imbalance, estrogen dominance, progesterone support, mast cell stabilizers, quercetin, LDN, ketotifen, thymosin alpha, and why treating the root cause matters more than just chasing symptoms.

They also give an important warning: do not diagnose yourself from TikTok. Social media can bring awareness, but histamine intolerance and MCAS are complex, and the right answer often requires real testing, a detailed history, and a functional medicine approach.

If you have ever felt like your body is reacting to everything — food, stress, hormones, mold, alcohol, or even supplements — this episode may finally connect the dots.

Dr. Nick is joined by nurse practitioner Molly Davis from Maverick Male Medical and Rejuvenated Medical Spa for the first episode in a two-part series on musculoskeletal conditions. This episode focuses on platelet-rich plasma, better known as PRP, and why Dr. Nick considers it one of the most useful tools in regenerative medicine.

They explain that PRP comes from your own blood. After blood is drawn and spun down in a centrifuge, the platelets and growth factors are concentrated and then used to support healing in areas like joints, tendons, muscles, and other tissues. Because it comes from the patient’s own body, they explain that the risk is generally low and the body recognizes it as its own.

Dr. Nick and Molly break down how PRP works, including how platelets release growth factors, communicate with stem cells, encourage collagen production, promote blood flow, and help direct the body’s natural repair process. Dr. Nick uses a contractor analogy: stem cells are like workers waiting for instructions, while PRP helps tell them where to go and what job to do.

The episode also compares PRP and stem cells, including why stem cell procedures can be more expensive, more invasive, and harder to verify depending on the source. Dr. Nick cautions listeners about clinics claiming to offer prepackaged stem cells and explains why he often leans toward PRP first because it is simpler, faster, and uses the patient’s own blood.

They also cover the many ways PRP is used in their clinic, including joint pain, knees, shoulders, elbows, wrists, ankles, fingers, toes, tendon issues, muscle injuries, cosmetic treatments, sexual function, stress urinary incontinence, Vampire Facial, Vampire Facelift, and PRF/easy gel treatments.

A major part of the conversation focuses on why not all PRP is equal. Dr. Nick explains that platelet concentration matters, and that some older kits may not draw enough blood to create a strong enough platelet dose. He also discusses the difference between leukocyte-rich and leukocyte-poor PRP, including the tradeoff between more inflammation and soreness versus potentially stronger healing signals.

Dr. Nick also shares his own experience injecting his knee after a meniscus and MCL injury, saying he was significantly better within weeks and pain-free by 12 weeks. They wrap up by revisiting PRP’s cosmetic uses, including microneedling, filler support, collagen production, PRF, and easy gel as a more natural filler option.

Overall, the episode gives listeners a clear, practical explanation of what PRP is, how it works, what it can be used for, and why the quality of the PRP preparation matters so much.