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Mitochondria, Nitric Oxide & Creatine for Fatigue: Real Benefits & Limits with Luke Bucci, PhD

EnergyMD Podcast

Release Date: 04/08/2026

What Dr. McCullough's Long COVID Protocol Is Missing with Evan H. Hirsch, MD show art What Dr. McCullough's Long COVID Protocol Is Missing with Evan H. Hirsch, MD

EnergyMD Podcast

You've probably heard both sides of Dr. McCullough's protocol: some people say it changed their lives, while others say it only helped temporarily. So what's the difference? Dr. McCullough's protocol has gotten a lot of attention in the Long COVID community, and for good reason. It uses three over-the-counter supplements to clear lingering spike protein from the body, and the research behind it holds up. In this episode, Evan H. Hirsch, MD explains why the protocol can work, why progress sometimes stalls, and what may be missing from the bigger picture. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why...

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Does Levothyroxine Really Cause Cancer? What Dr. Ardis Got Wrong with Evan H. Hirsch, MD show art Does Levothyroxine Really Cause Cancer? What Dr. Ardis Got Wrong with Evan H. Hirsch, MD

EnergyMD Podcast

The headlines say your thyroid medication might cause cancer. Before you stop taking it, read this. A 2021 study of over 600,000 people found that long-term levothyroxine users had higher rates of several cancers. That number spread quickly, and for good reason. It sounds alarming. But the study had a critical flaw: it could not separate the effect of the medication from the autoimmune disease that caused people to need it in the first place. In this episode, Evan H. Hirsch, MD breaks down what the research actually found, why Hashimoto's is likely behind the numbers, and what to focus on if...

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You Tried the Stellate Ganglion Block. Here's Why It Didn't Fully Work with Evan H. Hirsch, MD show art You Tried the Stellate Ganglion Block. Here's Why It Didn't Fully Work with Evan H. Hirsch, MD

EnergyMD Podcast

Only 14% of people who get the stellate ganglion block have lasting relief. The other 86% aren't unlucky. They just weren't told what was still driving the problem. If you got the SGB, felt better for a few weeks, and then watched the symptoms come back, you are not alone. The block did what it was supposed to do. What it cannot do is remove whatever put your nervous system in overdrive in the first place. In this episode, Evan H. Hirsch, MD breaks down what the research actually shows, why the root causes keep driving symptoms after the block fades, and what it takes for the relief to last....

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Weight Loss In Menopause: What You’re Missing To Feel Like Yourself Again with Maraya Brown show art Weight Loss In Menopause: What You’re Missing To Feel Like Yourself Again with Maraya Brown

EnergyMD Podcast

When your labs look normal but you still can't lose weight, the missing piece isn't usually more supplements or another protocol. It's often what's happening in your nervous system and how your body responds to years of accumulated stress. If you're a woman in your 40s or 50s who has optimized everything (sleep, diet, exercise, stress management) and still feel stuck, perimenopause and menopause can look like the finish line. Instead, for many, it becomes the moment when fatigue, weight gain, and brain fog hit differently than before. What most providers miss is that menopause is often a...

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How BrainTap Ends Brain Fog, Fatigue, and Poor Sleep with Light and Sound with Patrick Porter, PhD show art How BrainTap Ends Brain Fog, Fatigue, and Poor Sleep with Light and Sound with Patrick Porter, PhD

EnergyMD Podcast

Your brain may be stuck in survival mode. That could be why fatigue, brain fog, and poor sleep refuse to budge no matter what you try. People with Long COVID, ME/CFS, and chronic fatigue often do everything right: clean up their diet, run labs, try every supplement, and they still don't recover. In this conversation, Patrick Porter, PhD, founder of BrainTap, explains why nervous system regulation may be the piece that keeps getting skipped. We cover how stress recovery, brainwave training, sleep quality, and brain fitness affect energy production, mental clarity, and the body's ability to...

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Using EBOO, Chelation and Stellate Ganglion Blockade to Address Chronic Fatigue with Kyle Hulbert show art Using EBOO, Chelation and Stellate Ganglion Blockade to Address Chronic Fatigue with Kyle Hulbert

EnergyMD Podcast

Heavy metals, toxic burden, and nervous system dysfunction may be driving symptoms that standard testing never fully explains. Kyle Hulbert joins me to discuss the therapies his clinics use most often for people dealing with chronic fatigue, Long COVID, Lyme disease, brain fog, and other complex chronic conditions. We talk about his recovery from chronic mercury toxicity, why heavy metals remain a major focus in his work, and how EBOO, chelation, Procaine IVs, and stellate ganglion blockade fit into a root-cause approach. We also discuss treatment timelines, affordability, and why mindset can...

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The 6 Steps to Addressing Lyme Disease with Tanya Hoebel show art The 6 Steps to Addressing Lyme Disease with Tanya Hoebel

EnergyMD Podcast

Lyme disease spent 13 years dismantling Tanya Hoebel's life before she found her way back, and the six steps she used to recover are not what most people expect. Most providers never look past the surface. Tanya learned that the hard way, and what finally worked was a framework most people in the chronic illness community never get shown. In this conversation, she walks through the six layers she believes have to be addressed to actually recover: killing pathogens, opening detox pathways, clearing mold and heavy metals, retraining the nervous system, releasing blocked traumas, and doing the...

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13 Ways the Spike Protein Is Keeping You Sick with Evan H. Hirsch, MD show art 13 Ways the Spike Protein Is Keeping You Sick with Evan H. Hirsch, MD

EnergyMD Podcast

Your fatigue, brain fog, and lingering symptoms after COVID may not be random. The spike protein can keep disrupting your body long after the initial infection clears. Evan H. Hirsch, MD, breaks down 13 distinct mechanisms through which the spike protein continues affecting energy production, immune function, circulation, the gut, and nervous system regulation in people dealing with Long COVID, ME/CFS, and chronic fatigue. This episode also explains why so many people address symptoms one at a time and still plateau, and what the layer underneath the 13 mechanisms actually is. In this episode,...

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How To Turn Off Anxiety & the Stress Response with Ashley James show art How To Turn Off Anxiety & the Stress Response with Ashley James

EnergyMD Podcast

Living in a constant state of stress can quietly affect energy, digestion, sleep, focus, and recovery.  In this episode, Evan H. Hirsch, MD, sits down with Ashley to talk about anxiety, the fight-or-flight response, and why many people with chronic health issues can get stuck in stress patterns without fully realizing it. Ashley explains how fear-based thinking and spiraling thoughts can intensify physical symptoms, why the body responds to imagined danger as if it were real, and the visualization technique she uses to help calm anxiety in the moment. In this episode, you'll learn: Why...

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Why You Have Good Days and Bad Days With Long COVID and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with Evan H. Hirsch, MD show art Why You Have Good Days and Bad Days With Long COVID and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with Evan H. Hirsch, MD

EnergyMD Podcast

You had a good day. Then you crashed. And now you're wondering what you did wrong. Most people with Long COVID and ME/CFS spend months trying to make sense of why their symptoms feel so unpredictable. The truth is, they usually aren't. In this episode, Evan H. Hirsch, MD, walks through nine specific reasons symptoms flare, from physical overexertion and nervous system stress to hormone shifts, seasonal infection cycles, and full moon patterns. He also breaks down the ‘Toxic 5’ that keep the body vulnerable to these swings, and shares a practical tracking approach to help you start reading...

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More Episodes

Your standard labs came back normal, but your cells might still be starving for energy.

If you're doing everything right (the supplements, the diet, the sleep) but still can't shake the exhaustion, the problem might not show up on any bloodwork. What most providers never check is what's happening inside your cells: specifically how well your mitochondria are producing energy, and whether your circulation is quietly declining over time.

In this episode, you'll learn:

  • Why standard lab panels miss what's actually driving fatigue at the cellular level
  • What mitochondria really do and how their decline leads to brain fog, weakness, and exhaustion
  • The key supplements with real science behind them: CoQ10, L-carnitine, creatine, lipoic acid, and NAD
  • The truth about nitric oxide: when it supports circulation and when it becomes a problem
  • Why blood flow may be one of the most overlooked factors in chronic fatigue and long COVID recovery

Guest: Dr. Luke Bucci is the Chief Scientific Officer of Juvenon, a clinical nutritionist, and a recognized leader in nutritional science with 37+ years in the dietary supplement industry working with Nobel Prize-winning scientists. He's also the recipient of the Science and Innovation Icon Award for his decades-long leadership and innovation in nutritional science and the dietary supplement industry.



Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction 00:28 - Meet Luke Bucci, PhD

01:00 - Why Standard Labs Miss What's Happening Inside Your Cells

02:30 - What Mitochondria Actually Are

04:25 - What Happens When Mitochondria Don't Work Well

08:10 - Autophagy: How Your Body Takes Out the Trash

10:01 - Exercise, Isometrics and Mitochondrial Health

14:45 - Creatine: Not Just for Bodybuilders

17:10 - How Creatine Works in the Brain and Muscles

20:30 - CoQ10, L-Carnitine and Lipoic Acid for Energy

26:15 - Why Supplements Aren't Enough on Their Own

30:00 - Nitric Oxide, Blood Flow and Fatigue

34:10 - The Risks of Too Much Nitric Oxide

37:30 - Arginine Silicate and Polyphenols Explained

40:45 - Juvenon Products and Final Thoughts


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Please note that any information in this episode is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.