I almost died of leprosy

I’ve probably mentioned this before but I’m sitting in a doctor’s office nearly 20 years ago, sick as I’ve ever been and the doctor looks at me and says “Jared I think you have leprosy”. My heart sank. I had just gotten married. This was a death sentence.

I knew the stories of Jesus and lepers, I knew it was a life of isolation and misery. He says so we need to test for it. I looked at him and said “I was in India last week - in a village with lepers.”

His reaction influenced my reaction and my emotions were all over the map. He said “well actually we can treat leprosy now”, I think that was supposed to make me feel better - and it kinda did. I tested for it, it was negative. I tested for cancer, for aids, for a whole host of debilitating diseases and none of them came back positive - but I was still sick. I tested for parasites and more and more.

It was a 7 year journey trying to figure out why I was so sick. Near the end, I collapsed in a shower with what seemed like a heart attack around the age of 30. I was taken to the ER, ran all the tests and they said I was fine.

But man let me tell you, I was not fine. So finally one last chance - someone said test for a parasite at a specific lab - and they found one - blastocystishomonous I think was the name - from Southeast Asia. Years later I would find a journal entry from that trip that described the delicious Indian meal cooked by a family in their mud hut - that I described having upset stomach from in my notes.

Fast forward - and I have had residual gut health issues over the years. I’ve done all I can to regain my life and joy and happiness - but when you are sick - it’s hard to put a smile on your face.

I’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on supplements and treatments and doctors and experts to try to help me. About a year ago, I found someone who was highly recommended and I began their regimen of a billion supplements (actually about 50 pills/day) to optimize my gut health. It has been wild. I have been drinking 32 oz of celery juice each morning and feel like I’ve gone back to India 20 years ago with how much detoxification is going on. I don’t recommend that much celery juice unless you are ready to rock your world - and stomach.

But it has had me thinking as I’ve spent a significant amount of money with this expert and all the supplement regimen. So that I don’t fail to mention, I have seen improvements - not just my opinion but biomarker improvements - even with my heart health which is fascinating. Lower RHR and Higher HRV and better sleep and even lower cholesterol particle size which is something I had no idea about.

So here’s what I’ve been pondering that I hope can be of help to you. In my regimen I’m taking supplements to make the HPA axis more healthy and more in sync.

The HPA axis stands for the Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal axis. It’s one of the body’s central stress response systems - a biological feedback loop that links your brain to your adrenal glands and plays a key role in hormonal regulation, stress response, energy balance, mood, immune function, and more.

The gut health clinic that I’m working with believes that stress is the primary driver of most health issues. So they really emphasize this pathway and healing it and thus the supplements that support it and healthy adrenal glands and lymphatic elimination of waste etc.

But here is where the curve ball comes - they have encouraged me to do some breath work, meditation/prayer, outdoor exercise, good sleep, good nutrition etc etc - but not once have they asked me about what could be causing me any issues. I told them about my India episode, but I know others who have gut health issues with no explanation. Perhaps even health issues with no explanation.

As you have seen lately, I’ve been reading more and more books on the impact of trauma and childhood pain and broken relationships and even our view of a god or God - how it all impacts our HPA axis to be very clear.

It has reminded me how off our system of health and healthcare is in the world. I even think much of the wellness industry is off. I have been so off even in my presentations. I will emphasize better sleep, more exercise, eat fresher food, take some supplements - but if you aren’t addressing the pain in your life - it is like trying to train for a marathon with a broken or injured leg. THAT IS STUPID!!! No one in their right mind would do that.

A trainer would say “Hey listen, I love that you want to run - but you have to let your leg heal, or do some things to help it heal faster - but if you put pressure on it, it won’t heal and will cause more pain to you and maybe others.”

Here are the questions I would ask me if I was on the other side of the equation. The questions I want to ask you if you have some health issues that you can’t quite figure out.

First - we live in a world of the artificial - don’t fall for it. Don’t think that supplementing with Vitamin D is as good as or better than getting out in the sunshine as nekkid as possible to let the sun hit your skin.

Don’t think that Vitamin C is better than oranges. Now I believe in supplements but not as a substitute for healthy living.

So do all you know to do to be healthy - eat healthier, go to bed earlier, exercise more - but those are the easy ones.

Now for the hard:

Is anything injured in your body? Any pain from childhood?

Any pain from broken relationships?

Any pain from feeling like you don’t measure up? Why do you feel that way?

If we get honest - we can identify the pain. Now for many of us - especially the high performing amongst us - we use that pain for fuel - we are scared to heal the pain for fear we won’t have drive to excel. We are afraid of peace and being pain free.

What I am learning is that this pain in our life - is hidden but its firing that HPA axis and causing our hypertension, gut issues, cholesterol, sleeplessness, anxiety, stress even in the midst of seasons of bliss - we don’t know what it is - but we don’t feel at peace.

My challenge to you is to go to the source of pain - ask the hard questions.

Did anyone hurt me when I was a child? Maybe it was physical or sexual abuse - you have to confront that and forgive them and grow stronger and protect others from that happening - speak up to help others.

Was it emotional? Someone - a parent, sibling, friend - telling you that you were ugly, fat, stupid, not enough - that injured a part of you that is holding you back from your potential.

WHY IS NO ONE ASKING THESE SIMPLE QUESTIONS? They are the root of most of our problems.

Are your relationships at peace? Are you content? Happy? Joyful? Are you in harmony with family members? Friends? Has anyone hurt you that you need to confront and say you hurt me, but I forgive you.

If you don’t express your pain verbally or in writing - it will eventually kill you - and you may not even know why.

Some of us can’t sleep because we harbor resentment for the purpose sleeping next to us. Some of us don’t want to be more sexual because someone hurt us. Some of us hide who we are for fear someone won’t like us - that hiding takes work and it’s killing you.

I could go on and on - but here’s the takeaway - explore if you have any injury or pain in your life that may be impacting your physical health and life. Don’t accept the easy ‘I’m fine’. If you really want to go down the rabbit hole - go look up how injury and trauma from your grandparents was imprinted on the eggs of your mother and how its impacting your life today - how you raise children may be hte trauma your grandmother experienced. I first learned that and thought it was woo woo - it’s real and it’s happening all around us and maybe even inside of us.

I have started to ask these harder questions. I have started to ask if my dad’s trauma from childhood, running away from home, living homeless as a kid and who knows what else - how did that impact him and then my DNA?

Here’s some science 🙂 

🧠 1. Unresolved emotional trauma keeps the HPA axis chronically activated

Fact: Chronic emotional stress — especially from unresolved trauma or relational conflict — keeps the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in a hyperactivated state, leading to sustained cortisol release and dysregulation.

Study: Research shows that early-life emotional adversity leads to long-term HPA axis dysregulation, with altered cortisol rhythms and increased susceptibility to anxiety, depression, and autoimmune disease.

💔 2. Healthy social connection reduces cortisol and buffers the stress response

Fact: Positive social relationships and emotional connection directly lower cortisol levels and improve the body’s ability to regulate the stress response.

Study: Oxytocin — a neuropeptide released through bonding and touch — counteracts HPA axis activity by inhibiting ACTH and cortisol secretion, reducing sympathetic nervous system arousal (adrenaline).

🧘 3. Emotional processing and mindfulness retrain the HPA axis

Fact: Mind-body practices that foster emotional awareness — such as mindfulness, compassion-based therapy, or emotional disclosure — help recalibrate HPA axis reactivity, reducing cortisol over time.

Study: Meta-analyses show that mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) lowers both perceived stress and cortisol output, reflecting improved HPA axis regulation.

---

What are the pain points in your life you haven’t addressed? 👋

I write this newsletter each week because I feel my best when my body, mind and soul are all healthy. I want the same for you. If you feel like you’ve seen something valuable here, please do me a favor and forward this newsletter to a friend or let me know what you think by replying or texting me - (310) 879-8441

I think happy couples make the world go round. I also believe men can do more to lead and love in their lives. In light of that, I have found the following four books to be the 4 books every man should read and every woman should want their man to read.

• Good Energy - What makes for a Healthy Body and Mind?

• The Masculine in Relationship - How to Win the Trust, Lust and Devotion of a Strong Woman

• The Man’s Guide to Women - The Science of Happy Relationships

• The Desire of Ages - Leadership in a World of Cowards

Here are a few other links to things that have changed my life:

Whoop - Track your HRV and REM Sleep

Function Health - Optimize Your Health via 100+ BioMarkers

Here are a few topics I think you’ll love if you haven’t checked them out before:

How to Breathe for Better Health

How to Supercharge Your Sleep

The Power of the Sauna

-Jared

P.S. - This newsletter does not provide medical advice. The content, such as graphics, images, text, and all other materials, is provided for reference and educational purposes only. The content is not meant to be complete or exhaustive or to be applicable to any specific individual's medical condition.

References

1 - Heim, C., Newport, D. J., Mletzko, T., Miller, A. H., & Nemeroff, C. B. (2008). The link between childhood trauma and depression: insights from HPA axis studies in humans. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 33(6), 693–710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2008.03.008

2 - Heinrichs, M., Baumgartner, T., Kirschbaum, C., & Ehlert, U. (2003). Social support and oxytocin interact to suppress cortisol and subjective responses to psychosocial stress. Biological Psychiatry, 54(12), 1389–1398. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3223(03)00465-7

3 - Pascoe, M. C., Thompson, D. R., Jenkins, Z. M., & Ski, C. F. (2017). Mindfulness mediates the physiological markers of stress: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 95, 156–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2017.08.004