Professional saddle bronc rider Nicholas LaDuke knew something was wrong—he no longer felt like himself. Brain imaging gave him answers, but changing how he lived gave him hope.

Professional saddle bronc rider Nicholas LaDuke reached a point where he felt “walking dead.” Years of physical punishment, cognitive struggles and declining mental health had left him searching for answers.

Nicholas joins Paul Frase and Corey Berry to discuss what his SPECT brain scans revealed and how nutrition, reducing sugar, exercise, faith and other lifestyle changes became part of his personal journey forward. He also explains why receiving tangible evidence of his brain’s condition helped him stop guessing and begin rebuilding his life.

Today, Nicholas is still competing—and says he feels more alive than he did four years ago.

Follow The HeadRush Podcast and share this episode with someone searching for answers, understanding or hope after brain trauma.

Please support the mission of the HeadRush Foundation as we continue raising awareness, sharing resources and helping people affected by repetitive head impacts and traumatic brain injuries.

Our Sponsors

• Patrick Risha CTE Awareness Foundation — Learn more about repetitive head impacts and CTE prevention at StopCTE.org
• Millennium Health Centers and Millennium Store
• Paradise Behavioral Health – Brain Well Program
• MC Wellness — Cristal Clark, MA, LPC-S
• Ambio Life Sciences
• Vielight, Inc. — Use discount code HEADRUSHVL

This episode shares Nicholas LaDuke’s personal experiences and opinions. It is intended for general informational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

A century of medical progress—and concussion patients are still largely told to rest and wait. Could OXE103 help change that?

Former NFL quarterback Alex Smith and Oxeia Biopharmaceuticals CEO Dr. Michael Wyand join Paul Frase to examine one of the largest gaps in brain-injury care: the lack of an FDA-approved medication for concussion.

Alex shares what concussions looked and felt like during his 16-year NFL career—and why his experiences led him to join Oxeia’s Board of Directors. Dr. Wyand explains what happens inside the brain following a concussion, the science behind OXE103, and why its early Phase 2a results justified taking the research into a larger, controlled Phase 2b trial.

The conversation explores why “rest and wait” is not enough, what scientists still need to prove, and what an effective treatment could mean for athletes, veterans, accident survivors, children and families living with persistent concussion symptoms.

OXE103 is investigational and has not been approved by the FDA. This episode is for educational purposes and should not be considered medical or investment advice.

Sponsors

This episode is presented in partnership with Oxeia Biopharmaceuticals: oxeiabiopharma.com

The HeadRush Podcast proudly recognizes the support of:

• Patrick Risha CTE Awareness Foundation: stopcte.org
• Millennium Health Centers: tbihelpnow.org
• Millennium Health Store: millenniumhealthstore.com
• Paradise Behavioral Health – Brain Well Program: paradisebehavioral.com/brainwell
• MC Wellness – Cristal Clark, MA, LPC-S
• Ambio Life Sciences: ambio.life
• Vielight, Inc.: vielight.com — Use discount code HEADRUSHVL

Please support the HeadRush Foundation as it expands brain-health education, resources, treatment access and hope for individuals and families affected by brain injury.

The problem was not a lack of information. It was turning that information into something a patient—especially one experiencing cognitive impairment—could understand and follow.

Dr. Mizyl Damayo has built a system that combines genetics, laboratory results, hormones, inflammation markers, nutrition, medical history, and lifestyle factors into one clear, personalized roadmap.

Precision medicine is only useful if the patient can understand and act on it.

In Paul Frase’s first solo episode as host of The HeadRush Podcast, Dr. Mizyl Damayo returns to reveal the precision-psychiatry system she spent months building from years of clinical knowledge and patient experience.

Dr. Damayo regularly works with professional athletes, individuals affected by brain trauma, and patients struggling with complicated mental-health symptoms. Her challenge was clear: how could she take an overwhelming amount of medical information and turn it into a plan that patients and caregivers could realistically manage?

Working with her brother and using AI-assisted tools, Dr. Damayo developed a system that brings genetics, laboratory results, inflammation, hormones, metabolism, nutrition, exercise, environmental exposures, and medical history together in one place.

Using Paul’s health information as a live demonstration, she shows how the system can produce:

• A personalized genetic and laboratory analysis
• Prioritized areas of concern
• An individualized supplement schedule
• Nutrition, meal, and grocery plans
• Gradual fasting and exercise protocols
• Short-form and detailed treatment summaries
• Video explanations and exercise demonstrations
• A 90-day roadmap with daily checklists

The episode also explores why patients cannot be treated according to one gene, one laboratory result, or one symptom. Dr. Damayo explains how genetic variants can interact, why a supplement that helps one person may create problems for another, and why treatment must remain individualized.

Most importantly, this system is designed to make complicated information usable—especially for patients experiencing memory problems, brain fog, executive-function difficulties, or cognitive impairment.

Paul’s results provide the example. Dr. Damayo’s ability to connect the information and translate it into an understandable plan is the real story.

Follow The HeadRush Podcast and share this episode with an athlete, veteran, caregiver, healthcare professional, or anyone searching for a clearer approach to brain and mental health.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

• Patrick Risha CTE Awareness Foundation — Providing education and resources to help families understand, live with, and prevent CTE and damage caused by repeated head impacts. Learn more at https://stopcte.org.

• Millennium Health Centers — Advancing individualized approaches to brain health, neuroinflammation, hormonal disruption, and cognitive and mental wellness through the Millennium Protocol. Learn more at https://tbihelpnow.org.

• Millennium Health Store — Offering products developed to support brain health, cognition, cellular function, and the body’s response to inflammation. Visit https://millenniumhealthstore.com.

• Paradise Behavioral Health — Brain Well Program — Providing personalized brain- and behavioral-health care guided by genetics, hormones, biomarkers, medical history, and environmental factors. Learn more at https://paradisebehavioral.com.

• MC Wellness — Cristal Clark, MA, LPC-S — Providing mental-health counseling, education, and support for individuals, families, veterans, first responders, and others navigating trauma and behavioral-health challenges.

• Ambio Life Sciences — Providing medically supervised ibogaine programs and contributing to emerging research involving addiction, trauma, traumatic brain injury, and complex neurological conditions. Ibogaine remains experimental and is not approved as a treatment for neurodegenerative disease. Learn more at https://ambio.life.

• Vielight, Inc. — Advancing transcranial and intranasal photobiomodulation technology designed to support brain wellness.

Use discount code HEADRUSHVL when purchasing through Vielight: https://vielight.com.