A concussion or brain injury that happened years ago may still be driving chronic illness today, and most patients have never been told. In this episode, Dr. Eric Gordon sits down with board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Chad Prusmack to explore how unresolved brain trauma, vestibular dysfunction, and dysautonomia underpin some of the most complex and treatment-resistant cases in chronic illness.
Drawing on his experience with NFL athletes, spine surgery patients, and his own journey through tick-borne disease, Dr. Prusmack brings a uniquely cross-disciplinary lens to why some people never fully recover from an injury and what can actually be done about it.
The conversation moves from how a misaligned neck disrupts the entire autonomic nervous system to the role of peptides in restoring mitochondrial function and endocrine health once the foundation is stable, and how the hardware and the software must be addressed together and in the right order.
Episode Highlights:
- Why loss of cervical lordosis on a normal-looking MRI is a key sign of vestibulocervical dysregulation that almost everyone is told to ignore
- How unresolved vestibular dysfunction forces the brain to remap itself around a slower visual system, creating brain fog, anxiety, and dysautonomia
- Why dysautonomia must be treated before any meaningful rehab or recovery can take place
- The peptides Dr. Prusmack uses for mitochondrial support: subcutaneous NAD, MOT-C, and SS-31 and when to introduce them
- Three exercise strategies for patients who can barely move: blood flow restriction training, heart rate zone feedback training, and isometric training
Listen in to learn more:
- 0:00:00 Brain Trauma as a Driver of Chronic Illness
- 0:02:30 From Neurosurgeon to Complex Chronic Brain Care
- 0:05:45 Personal Journey: Misdiagnosis, CVID, and Lyme Disease
- 0:10:20 Hardware vs. Software: Injury Meets Environment
- 0:14:40 Dysautonomia as an Underdiagnosed, Treatable Pattern
- 0:19:10 Neck, Vestibular System, and Spatial Orientation
- 0:24:00 Structural Clues: Loss of Cervical Lordosis
- 0:27:30 Chronic Symptoms, Whiplash, and Missed Mechanisms
- 0:32:00 Dysautonomia, POTS, and Orthostatic Testing Framework
- 0:37:30 Multisystem Evaluation: Beyond “It’s All Infection”
- 0:42:00 Peptides for Pituitary and Hormone Axis Repair
- 0:46:00 Mitochondrial Peptides: NAD, MOTS-c, and SS-31
- 0:51:00 Timing Peptides: Don’t Fuel the Fire Too Early
- 0:55:00 Overlap of Longevity, Performance, and Chronic Illness Care
- 0:59:00 Exercise for the “Can’t Exercise” Patient
- 1:03:00 Blood Flow Restriction, HR-Zone Training, and Isometrics
- 1:07:00 Reframing Goals: Daily Function Over Marathons
About Chad Prusmack, MD
Dr. Chad Prusmack is a board-certified neurosurgeon and the only neurosurgeon in the United States who holds a functional medicine certification through IFM. He is the founder of Resilience Code, a personalized health and performance practice focused on chronic illness, complex brain injury, and peak performance. He serves as the primary neurosurgical consultant for the United States Olympic Committee, with a specialty in neurodegenerative disease, concussion, and post-concussive syndrome.
Learn more about Dr. Prusmack at https://www.myresiliencecode.com/
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