Iron Direct Primary Care Podcast

MMA Iron DPC Show with Alex Cunningham Rastareverend: Esports to the Cage

Alex Cunningham, better known as the Rasta Reverend, joins me fresh off the mats at Iron Direct Primary Care. Still buzzing from training, he jumps straight into the cold plunge while we talk about his unexpected journey from professional esports gamer and UFC superfan to rising MMA fighter with a purple belt in BJJ and a growing local following in Florida. We get deep into what real fight camp looks like — the training, the mental warfare, the recovery tools (cold plunge, red light, and everything else that’s keeping his body together), and how iron direct primary care gives combat athletes an edge that traditional medicine never could. With his next fight just weeks away on May 30th at Rise of a Warrior in Fort Pierce, Alex breaks down his preparation, what fans can expect in the cage, his viral fight prediction game, and the reality of being a sponsored local fighter trying to climb the ranks. This is raw, unfiltered conversation about the fighter lifestyle — the highs, the grind, the comebacks, and the mindset it takes to step in there. Whether you’re a die-hard MMA fan, an aspiring fighter, or just someone interested in human performance and recovery, this one delivers. Topics include: From PlayStation pro to stepping in the cageLessons from wins, losses, and title fightsRecovery, optimization, and staying healthy in a brutal sportThe upcoming May 30th fight at the Havert L. Fenn Center Get tickets for Rise of a Warrior – May 30th in Fort Pierce! Follow Alex @rastareverend on IG and youtube

Chelation Therapy with Sergio A. Sobredo, MD, Bernardo Valero, ND, and Yanai Calderon, RN- ep 15 of the Iron DPC podcast

Stefan interviews Sergio A. Sobredo, MD, Bernardo Valero, ND, and Yanai Calderon, RN on Chelation Therapy. Chelation therapy is a medical treatment that uses special agents—most commonly EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid)—administered intravenously (IV) to bind ("chelate") to certain metals and minerals in the bloodstream. These bound complexes are then excreted through the urine via the kidneys. The term comes from the Greek word "chelos," meaning claw, reflecting how the chelating agent grabs onto targeted substances.FDA-Approved Use * It is an established, FDA-approved treatment for heavy metal poisoning (e.g., lead, mercury, arsenic, or other toxic metals) and certain conditions like iron overload (hemochromatosis). * In these cases, it effectively reduces dangerous metal buildup that can damage organs, the nervous system, kidneys, and more. * Support cardiovascular health by potentially reducing arterial plaque, improving blood flow, decreasing inflammation, and lowering oxidative stress (some point to the removal of excess calcium or toxic metals that contribute to atherosclerosis). * Help with symptoms linked to chronic metal exposure, such as fatigue, brain fog, neurological issues, or immune suppression. * Burning or discomfort at the IV site * Low blood pressure, headache, nausea, or fatigue * Drops in essential minerals (e.g., calcium, zinc) → requires monitoring and supplementation * Rare but serious issues like kidney strain or allergic reactions * Evidence-based, medically supervised chelation for toxic metal removal and cardiovascular support. * Services for patients (finding certified providers, consultations, lab coordination). * Support for clinics/providers (training, protocols, implementation of chelation programs). * Additional options like their Chel8® at-home oral/rectal chelation kit for accessibility. Off-Label / Integrative UsesIn integrative and functional medicine circles, IV chelation is often used beyond heavy metal detoxification. Proponents suggest it may: Large studies (like the TACT trial) have explored its role in heart disease, with mixed results—some subgroups (e.g., people with diabetes or prior heart events) showed modest benefits, but mainstream organizations like the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and Harvard Health generally state that evidence for heart disease treatment remains limited or inconclusive, and it's not a standard or proven therapy for atherosclerosis, stroke prevention, or similar conditions. Risks and Side EffectsWhen properly supervised, it's considered relatively safe for approved uses, but risks include: It's critical to use it under medical supervision with proper testing (e.g., heavy metal labs) — never with unregulated over-the-counter products. What is ChelationDoctors.com? ChelationDoctors.com is a nationwide network that connects patients with A.C.A.M.-certified practitioners (American College for Advancement in Medicine). ACAM is an organization focused on integrative medicine that offers specialized training and certification (CCT – Certified Chelation Therapy) for physicians administering chelation safely and effectively. They position chelation as a tool to address heavy metal burden and related health issues, delivered by practitioners with ACAM's advanced chelation training.

How We Detect Heart Disease Years Before a Heart Attack: Cleerly AI

Is your heart health a mystery? At Iron DPC, we’re bringing the future of cardiology to you. 🫀✨ Most traditional heart tests only look for "clogs" once they’ve already become a problem. But what if you could see the plaque building up years before a heart attack happens? In this video, the team at Iron Direct Primary Care is excited to announce our partnership with Cleerly—an FDA-cleared, AI-powered heart imaging analysis that is revolutionizing how we detect, prevent, and treat heart disease. Cleerly isn’t just another scan; it’s an advanced AI digital care platform that works with a non-invasive Coronary CT Angiography (CCTA). While a standard CT scan gives us a "picture," Cleerly’s AI analyzes that picture to: * Identify Plaque Types: It distinguishes between "hard" (calcified) plaque and the much more dangerous "soft" (vulnerable) plaque that often leads to sudden heart attacks. * Quantify Disease: It provides an exact measurement of the plaque volume in your actual arteries. * Create a 3D Map: It builds a personalized digital map of your heart’s blood vessels to pinpoint exactly where issues are starting. * Early Detection: Find heart disease in its earliest stages, often before any symptoms appear. * Precision Medicine: No more "one-size-fits-all" treatments. We use your Cleerly data to tailor your medications and lifestyle plan specifically to your biology. * Track Your Progress: For the first time, we can perform follow-up scans to see if your plaque is actually shrinking or stabilizing over time. At Iron DPC, we believe in proactive health, not reactive medicine. Don’t wait for a symptom to be your first sign of heart disease.

Part 2 of The 2026 ACC/AHA Multisociety Guideline on Dyslipidemia

The 2026 ACC/AHA Multisociety Guideline on Dyslipidemia recognizes apoB as a superior marker in specific scenarios — it directly counts the number of atherogenic particles (LDL + others like VLDL/remnants/Lp(a)), making it more accurate than LDL-C (which measures cholesterol mass inside particles) for predicting cardiovascular risk, especially in cases of discordance (LDL-C looks good but apoB is still high).This discordance is common in high-risk groups: people with ASCVD, CKM syndrome, type 2 diabetes, elevated triglycerides (≥150–200 mg/dL), obesity/metabolic issues, or on statins where small/dense particles persist. In those settings, apoB often better identifies residual risk and supports intensifying therapy (e.g., adding ezetimibe, bempedoic acid, PCSK9 inhibitors, or inclisiran).However, the guideline does not recommend switching to apoB as the primary/single marker for everyone — including in low- or intermediate-risk primary prevention or as the default over LDL-C. Here's why, based on the guideline's rationale and supportive text: * LDL-C remains the foundational target — Decades of large randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with statins, ezetimibe, PCSK9 inhibitors, etc., show clear event reduction tied to lowering LDL-C (and % reduction + absolute goals like <100 mg/dL intermediate risk, <70 mg/dL high risk, <55 mg/dL very high-risk/ASCVD). These trials used LDL-C (or non-HDL-C) as the primary metric, not apoB. No equivalent large outcome trials exist with apoB as the main treatment target or primary endpoint. * ApoB is an adjunct tool (Class 2a recommendation — reasonable/may be beneficial) — It's selectively recommended after LDL-C and/or non-HDL-C goals are met in treated high-risk patients to check for hidden residual risk and guide further intensification. It's not for routine initial screening, untreated patients, primary prevention broadly, or pediatrics. The guideline prioritizes LDL-C for starting therapy and broad monitoring. * Practical and evidence limitations — While apoB is standardized, fasting-independent, and widely available, universal adoption lacks strong RCT support for changing outcomes beyond what's achieved with LDL-C goals. In many people (especially without metabolic issues), LDL-C and apoB correlate closely — discordance is the exception, not the rule (~20% in some high-risk groups). Non-HDL-C often serves a similar role as a simpler alternative. * Broader framework — The guideline emphasizes lifetime exposure to atherogenic lipids, with LDL-C as the core driver in causal evidence. ApoB enhances personalization in tricky cases (e.g., CKM/obesity where small particles dominate), but doesn't replace the established LDL-C system for most decisions. In short: ApoB is excellent (and often better) where discordance or metabolic complexity exists — and the guideline pushes its use more than before in those groups

Why We Left the Tribe: Ex-Carnivore & Lipid Denialist Speak Out

We didn't change our minds because it was popular—we changed them because the data gave us no choice.Most people treat their diet like a religion, but in functional medicine, staying stagnant is a disservice to the patient. Join Sarah Zaldivar, PhD (Ex-Carnivore) and Stefan Hartmann, PA-C (Reformed Lipid Denialist) for a raw look at what happens when your clinical results and the latest research force you to dismantle your own dogma. We’ve taken the heat from our followers and challenged our own biases to bring you the truth about lipids, metabolic health, and the evolution of nutrition. This isn’t just about food; it’s about the intellectual humility required to adapt when the science moves forward.