Latest / Project UNWD (Real People. Real Stories.) / 2,000mg of 7-OH a day. $25,000 gone. Then this happened. - Project UNWD Ep 62

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2,000mg of 7-OH a day. $25,000 gone. Then this happened. - Project UNWD Ep 62 · Project UNWD (Real People. Real Stories.)

0:00
Welcome back to Project Unwind. My name
0:01
is James. I'm your host. Today we have a
0:03
super cool guest, Dennis. For the
0:05
audience who don't know who you are, can
0:07
you give us a bit of a background on
0:09
what you do and what makes Dennis
0:11
Dennis?
0:12
>> Yes. Uh my name is Dennis. I am uh Army
0:17
veteran.
0:20
I did six years in the army as a
0:22
petroleum supply specialist and as an
0:24
army recruiter. And I took the
0:26
experience that I gained while in the
0:28
military and put it to use in the
0:29
civilian world. And I have been in the
0:32
military defense space recruiting now
0:34
for
0:36
uh 20 22 years.
0:39
>> Wow.
0:40
>> 20 26 years as a recruiter overall. So
0:43
that's um it's pretty amazing. More than
0:46
half my life I've I've dedicated to this
0:49
profession. So,
0:51
>> what's one of the biggest life lessons
0:53
you've learned um with your time at the
0:55
army?
0:57
>> Um,
0:59
you can do a lot more than you think you
1:01
can.
1:02
>> So, so many of the difficulties that we
1:04
face in our lives are are just simply
1:07
mental. If you can get over that mental
1:09
hurdle, there's nothing you can't do.
1:13
>> I 100% agree. But then the mind is so
1:15
strong. For that
1:18
>> person that's watching this, they know
1:20
they can do better, but they just can't
1:23
get themsel get themselves to take that
1:25
first step. What's a tip you can provide
1:27
for them?
1:30
>> This is what really helped me when I was
1:32
going through basic training in the
1:34
military. I thought about the the
1:37
thousands or millions of other people
1:39
that had gone through this and if they
1:42
can do it,
1:44
I can't do it. They're better than me.
1:46
No, no. If they can do it, I can do it.
1:50
If somebody has done something already,
1:52
there's no reason I can't do it as well.
1:54
And just having that mindset going in
1:56
going into anything will definitely help
1:59
you out tremendously.
2:02
That's so cool. You know, I actually
2:04
tell myself that the exact same thing.
2:06
If I go like, if he can do it, I can do
2:08
it. So, I that really helps me, too. So,
2:11
I really like that.
2:12
>> Okay.
2:15
>> Well, for everyone who's on this
2:17
podcast, they usually have a mental
2:19
health journey. Um, did your mental
2:22
health journey start because of your
2:24
time um in in the army or where does
2:28
your mental health journey start? H it's
2:30
it's got a couple of starting places,
2:33
believe it or not.
2:34
>> Now, for me, this this wasn't so much I
2:37
mean partially mental, but it was more
2:39
physical.
2:40
>> Um I had a lot of injuries while I was
2:43
in the military. Shattered my right
2:44
foot. Uh I got hit by a car while on a
2:48
motorcycle. So I
2:51
I was in the hospital a lot. So um my
2:55
motorcycle accident happened in 99. got
2:58
hit by a car when I was stationed in
2:59
Savannah, Georgia. And I was on bed rest
3:02
for 4 months after that. And this
3:06
actually kind of leads me um to
3:16
information around opiates.
3:19
So they were just giving me full bottles
3:22
of Percoet. I was in pain. The Percoet
3:25
helped with the pain. So I would take it
3:28
and I think I probably went through
3:30
thousands of Percoet for that injury
3:33
alone and you know I I had to have uh
3:37
reconstructive shoulder surgery, elbow
3:39
surgery. So and I'm on bed rest for
3:42
months because of this accident.
3:45
Once the pain stopped, I quit taking the
3:48
Percoet. I'm like I don't need these
3:49
anymore. They were for pain. I'm no
3:51
longer in pain. I didn't know about
3:53
withdrawals. No one told you about that.
3:56
No one warned you about it. But even
3:59
when I was going through it, I thought,
4:00
"Oh, I just I have a really bad fever.
4:02
I'm really sick." It was finding out
4:04
later when I shattered my right foot in
4:06
the military, they did the same thing.
4:08
Here's all the percoets you could ever
4:10
want. So,
4:13
it was then once I stopped taking them,
4:15
it dawned on me, I'm having withdrawals.
4:18
This is a drug. You know, that the
4:20
information wasn't out there like it is
4:23
now.
4:24
And so I have these injuries from my
4:27
time in the military. And then a few
4:30
years ago I find out I have a very rare
4:32
autoimmune disease.
4:40
And what happens is the myelin sheath or
4:43
the cover around your nerves in your
4:45
lower body starts to deteriorate. And
4:48
when that happens your nerves can no
4:50
longer speak with your brain. They can't
4:52
communicate. So both my calves are
4:55
currently paralyzed. They they have
4:57
atrophied. I cannot use them. So I
5:00
cannot physically run. I cannot
5:01
physically jump. Um
5:05
because of the nerve issues, it creates
5:07
a lot of pain.
5:09
So I might get sharp pain. Uh it, you
5:12
know, it might be like like just a dull
5:14
pain that lasts all day. So due to this,
5:18
you know, they were prescribing me
5:20
opiates again. And this time I'm like,
5:22
you know what? No, you got me twice. Not
5:25
again. So what I did is I tried to find
5:29
a more natural alternative.
5:32
>> Mhm.
5:32
>> And that led me to cratom
5:35
and that was 9 years ago.
5:38
Um
5:40
what I didn't know is this is also a
5:42
drug. It's just a legal drug. Is is a
5:47
leaf that's grown in Indonesia and
5:49
Malaysia. They've used it for thousands
5:50
of years
5:52
in the United States. Uh you can get it
5:55
at any smoke shop basically.
5:58
>> Uh that's 9 years ago. I looked for an
6:01
alternative because the VA um for for my
6:05
injuries that I had in the military. The
6:06
VA will send me whatever I want and
6:09
they'll mail it to my house. I don't
6:10
even have to leave.
6:12
So I I didn't want to go down that route
6:15
cuz this this pain isn't just going to
6:18
go away one day. this is for the rest of
6:20
my life.
6:21
>> So, I was trying to find a natural
6:23
alternative and it led me down just a
6:26
bad path with
6:29
led me down an even worse path with
6:31
something called 70.
6:34
I I think what they call it is like gas
6:36
station heroin.
6:38
>> Mhm.
6:38
>> Um it comes in pill form.
6:42
uh it's not cheap and what you find is
6:46
your body grows a tolerance to it
6:48
quickly. So if you were taking a 100
6:51
milligrams then you're taking 200 then
6:54
400 and then 800 it ramps up very
6:57
quickly. I was up to 2,000 milligrams a
7:00
day. It was costing me anywhere from 70
7:04
to $100 every day.
7:07
Luckily I have a good career and it
7:09
didn't bankrupt me. Thank God. But with
7:13
others, I'm I'm sure that's, you know,
7:15
something like that's happened.
7:18
I started taking 70
7:21
in June of
7:28
somebody had recommended, hey, you know
7:29
what? If you like them, why don't you
7:31
try this? It's even better. I'm like,
7:34
okay, if this is good and this is
7:36
better, why would I take the better
7:37
thing? So, I did that and my body grew
7:43
addicted to it very fast. Like I said, I
7:45
was spending 72 to $100 every single
7:48
day. I didn't miss a day because you
7:51
have withdrawals.
7:53
I remember one time it was October of
7:55
last year.
7:58
I ran out ofratom and it was late at
8:00
night. I had no 70 left and nothing's
8:04
open. I can't go buy anything. I'm going
8:09
through withdrawals. It was awful. Just
8:12
awful. And I hadn't had either either
8:15
product in I would say
8:18
8 hours.
8:20
And my body's already going through
8:22
these withdrawals. And I know this is
8:24
3:00 in the morning. I know nothing is
8:26
going to open where I can get these
8:28
products until 9:00 a.m. So, I have I
8:31
have this six-hour window I have to get
8:33
through of suffering and just feeling
8:35
awful.
8:36
Um, and at that point I'm like, am I a
8:40
junkie? Am I a drug addict? I am. Oh no.
8:46
Um, and it was at that point that I have
8:50
to quit this, but I didn't know how.
8:54
I didn't know where to start.
8:57
And then randomly, I was seeing some
8:59
Facebook ads for something called quit
9:02
K, something to help people quit cratom.
9:05
It helps with the withdrawals, restless
9:07
leg syndrome, just some different
9:09
things. So, I bought it. There's an AM
9:11
and a PM pill that you take. Several
9:13
pills. I took it, but I didn't change
9:17
anything I was doing.
9:20
So, I'm spending 70 or $80 on these
9:22
pills in addition to all the other money
9:24
I'm spending.
9:26
>> And I'm not even I'm not even trying to
9:28
quit. I just in my head I'm like, look,
9:30
I'm taking these pills. I'm I wasn't
9:32
helping myself at all.
9:35
So, the pills ran out. I bought more.
9:39
And I said, "Okay, this time, this time
9:41
I'm serious. I'm I'm really going to
9:43
stop and I went from 2,000 milligs a day
9:47
plus several tablespoons of cratom
9:50
down to like a,000 milligrams a day."
9:53
I'm like, "All right, I'm tapering. I'm
9:55
doing a good job. I'm tapering down."
9:58
Um,
10:00
and then something happens in your life.
10:03
something stressful or what have you,
10:06
right back up to 2000 where I was.
10:09
And so I I played this yo-yo game for a
10:13
while. I would say since probably about
10:17
December of last year.
10:20
Like I could I could show
10:23
actually I have it right here. I can
10:25
show you. It's It's not something I'm
10:29
incredibly proud of,
10:32
but
10:34
Right here is all the times I bought
10:36
quick K this year.
10:40
>> One, two, at least five times this year
10:43
I bought it. So five times
10:46
um 70. We're already there's hundreds of
10:49
dollars right there.
10:53
I kept trying to take it seriously, but
10:56
I wasn't. I just I I wasn't doing it
10:59
because I had this thought in my head
11:01
that I can't stop this. This has a hold
11:04
on me.
11:06
And you know what? That's just what it
11:08
is.
11:10
And
11:12
I saw your product online and I happened
11:15
to see
11:17
it was an ad and somebody had talked
11:19
about and 70
11:22
and it was then I was like, you know
11:23
what? This is it.
11:26
This person, this person did it. I'm
11:28
going to do this. And I ordered my first
11:32
um
11:34
canister or
11:36
um
11:37
>> first jar.
11:37
>> Yeah, first jar. Yeah, thank you. I
11:39
ordered my first jar and
11:43
I went into it with an open mind. I was
11:45
like, you know what? I'm going to give
11:46
this a shot.
11:48
>> And the funniest thing happened.
11:52
And mind you, I I wake up in the
11:54
morning. I take 70.
11:56
It's just it's like somebody else having
11:58
coffee.
12:00
Um
12:02
I took uh a little a little cap full, a
12:06
little scoop full of
12:08
um of your product and
12:12
I didn't even want the 70
12:16
and it it blew my mind. And I had even I
12:19
think several days in I texted you about
12:23
it. I'm like, I I don't even want this
12:25
anymore.
12:27
>> The whole time I had been waiting for
12:29
withdrawals.
12:31
>> Just I'm I'm wait The first couple of
12:34
days
12:36
I would take I would just take um a
12:39
tablespoon of just just so I don't have
12:41
withdrawals.
12:42
>> Mhm.
12:43
>> And that was that was my mindset with
12:44
it. And
12:47
they never came.
12:50
It was
12:53
I I want to say by the fifth day because
12:55
I started on a Monday.
12:58
>> By by Thursday or Friday of last week,
13:02
I didn't want anything.
13:04
Just didn't want it. And it it blew my
13:08
mind cuz and mind you, I I've been
13:12
taking Quick K alongside because I had
13:14
it. I'm like, you know what? This is
13:16
good. You know what? Let me take let me
13:18
take all of this.
13:20
But your product was kind of the
13:22
differentiator between everything
13:24
because I was taking QuickK all year and
13:27
you saw how many of them I purchased
13:29
through Amazon,
13:31
>> but they never took away the desire
13:34
and and I I had a conversation with you
13:37
via text last week and I said, "What is
13:39
in this? What is in this that has
13:44
and anybody watching this that thinks I
13:47
I'm a I I'm being paid by by James. I'm
13:51
not. I'm just a normal person. I'm not
13:55
here to sway you. Buy it. Don't buy it.
13:57
I mean, obviously he wants you to buy
13:58
it, but
14:00
I've tried other things. I've tried
14:02
tapering. I tried to do it on my own.
14:04
I'm like, you know what? I'm tough. I
14:06
can stop this. No, I can't. I'm not
14:08
tough at all. that it this stuff gets a
14:11
hold of you and
14:14
I'm lucky that I never got into cocaine
14:17
or anything really bad because I have a
14:20
very addictive personality
14:22
and who knows what that would have done.
14:24
I don't think your product would have
14:25
helped me come off of that. But um it uh
14:29
it's
14:30
it's been a heck of a journey, I'll tell
14:32
you. it. Um,
14:35
I just I I can't I can't believe it,
14:38
honestly. You know, I'm saving literally
14:40
hundreds of dollars every week now
14:44
because I just don't want to take this
14:45
this stuff anymore. I wake up in the
14:47
morning, I take a little scoop of of
14:49
your product and
14:52
um I might take another one in the
14:53
afternoon or in the evening, but I take
14:55
another one before bed,
14:58
I'm good to go. It's insane.
15:03
I I I have no words for you know this
15:07
I'm no longer taking products that my
15:11
life has revolved around
15:13
>> you know for 9 years 70 for you know
15:18
nearly a year and a half.
15:20
So it's it's amazing it really is.
15:26
When you went from when you added the
15:27
708 on top of your credratom, was it
15:31
what were you kind of you you said that
15:34
someone told you it's better? Were you
15:37
kind of still aiming for that pain
15:40
relieving side of things or do you
15:42
remember what you were expecting from
15:46
the pill?
15:47
>> Um
15:50
the pain relief absolutely but I mean
15:54
let's not kid ourselves. Anytime you
15:56
take something like that, there's
15:58
there's part of you that's in it for the
16:00
high that it gives you,
16:02
>> you know, but when you've been taking
16:04
these things for so long, you don't get
16:06
that anymore.
16:08
>> You know, you hear people, you know,
16:09
heroin users talking about, you know,
16:11
the first time they take heroin, they're
16:13
like, "Oh my gosh, it's lifechanging.
16:15
It's it's amazing."
16:17
>> And then they spend the rest of their
16:19
time on heroin trying to chase that same
16:21
high that they never get.
16:24
That's it's a one and done, maybe two
16:26
and done, but you never you'll never
16:29
feel that way again.
16:32
And so
16:35
another big thing about 70 that you know
16:37
I I forgot to mention is
16:40
it's not just the product itself that
16:43
you go through withdrawals from.
16:47
It's the act of doing it.
16:50
You know,
16:51
>> there's a mental part that goes with all
16:54
of that that you have to
17:06
you have to break doing that anymore. So
17:09
you kind of had to
17:12
so much of it, you know, as much it is
17:15
as it is physical, it's so much
17:19
mental as well, you know, the act of
17:22
doing it. And so I've replaced
17:26
doing that with with taking your product
17:29
now. And
17:32
so it it's
17:34
I can't even I don't even know how to
17:36
explain it properly, but it's it's so
17:38
much mental like the act of doing it.
17:41
I I 100% know what like what you mean
17:44
because like I started smoking
17:46
cigarettes when I was super young and
17:48
when I was quitting of course there's
17:50
like the nicotine withdrawal aspect of
17:52
it but then there's like a part of just
17:54
like after a meal or like when I get in
17:57
the car the act of putting that finger
18:01
and like taking a puff it's so hard to
18:04
shake and then like I was looking into
18:06
it and it's called cues. So like all
18:08
these like it's it's basically like uh
18:11
muscle memory essentially
18:14
>> and then those cues are just so hard to
18:16
shake. So, like some people their cue
18:20
for right when they wake up is getting a
18:22
cup of coffee, but then I guess there's
18:24
also the cue of right when you wake up
18:27
popping a 70 bill.
18:29
>> Mhm.
18:30
Very very much so. Or you know what
18:33
something stressful happens in your day
18:36
>> and that that's that's where you go.
18:40
You know, today sucks. All these bad
18:43
things are happening. This will make me
18:44
feel better. M
18:47
>> um
18:50
what I've done in place of that is I
18:52
just try to keep myself busy, occupied
19:00
in my own thoughts. My brain is going to
19:03
go back there.
19:04
>> Physically, I don't want this stuff
19:06
anymore. Mentally
19:09
is another story. Physically, my body's
19:12
not dependent on this anymore. And
19:14
that's like I said, it still blows my
19:15
mind,
19:17
but you have to get through the mental
19:18
aspect of it as well. Is, you know, my
19:21
body doesn't physically need this
19:22
anymore.
19:24
I have to
19:26
change that in in my brain as well.
19:29
>> Mhm.
19:30
>> And so I I would say that's been
19:34
the most difficult since I started
19:36
taking Unwind is just
19:39
mentally realizing I don't need this
19:41
anymore. I don't want this anymore.
19:45
>> So
19:47
that's And then every morning I get a
19:50
text message from my bank showing my
19:52
balance. So much happier now. So much
19:56
happier now.
20:00
>> I had 2,000 milligrams plus taking
20:02
credom on top. That's that's like a a
20:05
mortgage at that point. You know, I I
20:09
think about it and I probably spent
20:10
around $25,000
20:13
just just on 70.
20:16
>> Yeah.
20:16
>> Since June of 2025.
20:19
>> Wow.
20:19
>> Could have done literally anything with
20:21
that. And that's just
20:26
I I want to find the silver lining in
20:28
this somewhere.
20:30
So what what I've done in place is that
20:33
money that I would have been using for
20:35
70, I take it out of my bank account and
20:39
I put it into a savings account.
20:42
So I
20:46
found a very expensive way to create a
20:48
savings account.
20:50
So you know I know that if I could spend
20:52
that money on 70, that's money I could
20:54
also just save.
20:56
>> Mhm. you know, put it put it into
20:58
something else that can make me money.
21:00
Just move it. You know what? It was gone
21:03
all this time and I was fine. Fine. Let
21:06
me just keep moving it. Why not? So,
21:12
that part's been very good.
21:17
When you were taking
21:20
the 2,000 milligrams plus the cratom,
21:22
was how was this was this affecting like
21:25
your work or just your day like or those
21:29
around you at all or were you able to
21:31
just kind of hide it?
21:34
uh it doesn't really affect you that
21:36
way,
21:38
>> you know, like if if I were to take 70,
21:42
it it doesn't affect you to where anyone
21:45
would see you and say, "You're you're
21:47
you're taking something, aren't you?"
21:49
>> No, it doesn't it doesn't affect you
21:51
that way. You know, it it sometimes it
21:55
might give you a slight high or just a
21:58
slight little buzz,
22:01
>> but
22:02
it's nothing that anybody would notice.
22:06
You know, I think in terms of work, it
22:08
might give you the ability to maybe
22:09
focus a bit more.
22:11
>> Mhm.
22:12
>> You know, just kind of zero in on what
22:14
you have to do,
22:16
but no. So a lot of times I would take
22:19
them right before I went to the gym
22:22
because you know the benefits and plus
22:26
it just kind of kind of and and now mind
22:28
you comes in various strains
22:32
>> red green yellow and then there's
22:34
different subcategories within all of
22:37
those
22:38
and so
22:41
there might be you know a cratom that I
22:43
would take just to kind of relax me
22:45
before I went to bed or uh a cratom
22:48
strain that I would take for for energy
22:50
before I went to the gym or you know
22:52
just various things.
22:55
But um but yeah, it it didn't impact
23:00
anything like you know if if I were to
23:02
get pulled over I'm not going to get a a
23:05
DUI or anything like that.
23:09
No, it was it was totally fine from that
23:11
regard.
23:13
It it wasn't there wasn't a high, but
23:16
then with within it, you needed to keep
23:18
taking it just to feel the baseline or
23:21
you would fall into those terrible
23:23
withdrawals.
23:25
>> Yes. Yeah. And and like I said, I only
23:29
went through real withdrawals a year
23:31
ago.
23:33
So what what that what that meant I was
23:36
doing is I was constantly taking this
23:39
stuff.
23:40
>> Mhm. So I would I would buy a bag of
23:44
cratom for $30 and that would last me a
23:48
week. It was just in the powder form. Um
23:53
and then 70, like I said, I was buying
23:55
it daily. And what what happened was the
23:59
the FDA or somebody came out in July of
24:03
this year and said moving forward uh
24:07
starting August 5th, it was August 5th
24:10
or August 7th, uh 70 is banned in the
24:14
US. No one can sell it. I'm like, okay,
24:18
great. There's my chance to really quit.
24:22
I think the not selling it lasted two
24:25
days.
24:27
And then everybody just nobody stopped
24:30
selling it.
24:32
And mind you, I was such a good customer
24:36
that
24:38
the place that I went would hold some
24:40
for me.
24:42
They're like, "Hey, listen. We're not
24:43
supposed to sell this, but you've been a
24:44
great customer, so you know, whatever
24:46
you need, just let us know."
24:48
>> I'm like, "Damn it. Don't do that. Cut
24:50
me off." So,
24:54
but then I mean the FDA or whoever came
24:57
back and they're like, "Just kidding.
24:58
You can keep selling it, man.
25:03
>> Wow."
25:04
>> Mhm.
25:06
>> Are you doing anything for the pain
25:07
right now?
25:09
>> No.
25:12
>> No. Just
25:14
>> Oh,
25:14
>> pushing through it. you know, it's I
25:17
would rather have the pain at this point
25:20
>> than try to find something to mask it
25:23
>> because honestly there's nothing I can
25:25
do about it. This is just how my body
25:28
is,
25:29
>> you know, between CDP
25:31
um and the incidents that I had when I
25:33
was in the military. That's just how my
25:35
body is. It's it's not unbearable. You
25:39
know, I can still function like like I
25:41
told you earlier, I walk 20,000 steps
25:43
every day. And the reason the reason for
25:46
that is a lot of people with CIDP
25:50
are paralyzed from the neck down, the
25:52
waist down.
25:53
>> Oh wow.
25:54
>> So they're in a wheelchair or they're
25:56
using a walking device or
25:59
but here I am on two legs. So if if I go
26:03
to sleep and wake up tomorrow and I'm
26:06
paralyzed from the waist down, I don't
26:08
want to think back on today and think I
26:10
wasted it. You know, I think I think
26:13
back on my last day on two legs and I
26:16
just I pissed it away. I didn't do
26:19
anything. You know, I would regret that
26:22
for the rest of my life.
26:24
And then I think about the other people
26:26
with CIDP who can't walk, who who are in
26:29
a wheelchair or who are using a walker
26:32
to get around.
26:34
And I have this disease, too. And if I'm
26:36
just like, you know what, I'm just going
26:37
to sit around today and be lazy. I feel
26:39
like I'm spitting in their face because
26:41
I have this disease
26:43
>> and they would trade places with me in a
26:45
second.
26:47
So, no 20,000 steps every day.
26:53
>> Did you uh you were telling me how you
26:54
get those steps? Can you tell the
26:56
audience on how you get 20,000 steps?
26:59
>> Absolutely. Um I I have a lot of
27:02
meetings so I'll I'll put my um put my
27:06
AirPods in. I might just do laps in this
27:09
room, just sit here and walk in a circle
27:11
for an hour or I'll walk up and down the
27:14
hall in in my house or uh I also I have
27:18
a standing desk and I have a treadmill
27:20
here. So, I'll I'll use that sometimes.
27:22
The reason why I don't use that all the
27:25
time is because I like to track my
27:27
steps. I have a a Whoop band.
27:30
>> Yeah.
27:30
>> Whoop doesn't track if you're not going
27:33
anywhere. So, it doesn't work well on
27:36
something like a treadmill.
27:38
So, me actually going back and forth, I
27:41
want to get all my steps. I want to get
27:44
credit for every step I take. So, um so
27:49
yeah, that's that's why I do it. Even
27:51
even when I go to the gym, there's all
27:53
these treadmills, but I will just zigzag
27:56
through all the equipment. I probably
28:04
That's what I do. So, I just I'll walk
28:07
around the gym and I I already have a
28:09
course all mapped out and I know exactly
28:12
how many laps I how many times down and
28:14
back I have to go for it to be two
28:16
miles.
28:17
>> So,
28:19
so yeah. And and in during the warmer
28:22
months, I walk my dog at lunchtime. We
28:25
do anywhere from 2 to three miles. After
28:28
work, we'll go out and do another 2 to
28:30
three miles. And then after my workout
28:32
at night, I'll do another two to three
28:34
miles.
28:35
>> Wow.
28:36
>> So, I just I get my steps in.
28:41
>> That's why you have your shoulders
28:42
popping out right now.
28:44
>> Well, you know what? And it's one of
28:46
those things, too. It's non-negotiable.
28:48
The decision has already been made.
28:50
>> I'm doing this. You know, it's it's like
28:53
brushing your teeth or taking a shower
28:55
or, you know, or eating that day.
28:57
>> Those are things that you're going to
28:59
do. The decisions made. You're not
29:01
asking yourself if you want to or or are
29:03
going to do those things. You do them
29:05
whether you want to or not. I don't want
29:08
to walk 20,000 steps every day.
29:10
Sometimes I'd love to lay around and be
29:12
lazy, but the decision has been made.
29:15
It's non-negotiable. I I work out for at
29:18
least 45 minutes every day and I walk
29:21
20,000 steps every day. Those are my
29:22
non-negotiables.
29:24
birthday, Christmas,
29:27
it doesn't matter because anytime I
29:31
could go to bed tonight and wake up
29:34
tomorrow paralyzed.
29:35
>> Yeah.
29:36
>> I I had a really bad incident
29:39
um in August after work one day, laid on
29:43
my bed, I was watching some videos on my
29:45
phone, fell asleep for like an hour, and
29:48
I woke up and my legs didn't feel right.
29:52
It was it was very scary. And sometimes
29:55
if they don't feel right, it almost
29:57
feels kind of like if if your leg has
29:59
ever fallen asleep.
30:01
>> That's what my legs felt like. And it's
30:04
it it was just it was very weird. And so
30:07
I got up then and I took my dog and we
30:10
went for a walk and they never felt
30:13
right.
30:14
And it was it was like I said, it was
30:16
very scary.
30:18
>> And I said, you know what? Has my time
30:19
run out? Has my luck run out with this?
30:23
You know, it's I was diagnosed uh
30:26
September of 2021. So, it's been, you
30:29
know, five years now and I've been in
30:31
remission
30:33
and so had my time run out
30:37
and it probably took
30:41
a month. So, I I went through a month of
30:44
even even if I laid if I laid down to go
30:47
to sleep, my legs would just be in pain
30:49
all the time and just shooting nerve
30:53
pains and tingling and
30:57
uh my feet would fall asleep a lot. It's
31:00
just it's a very weird disease.
31:03
um
31:05
>> did some research on some things and
31:07
found that
31:09
uh if you're f familiar with alphaloic
31:11
acid,
31:13
there is a version of it uh ALA R
31:18
>> Mhm.
31:19
>> Um somebody recommended it to me. They
31:22
said, "Listen, this really helps with
31:23
neuropathy." I'm like, "Okay, what do I
31:26
have to lose?" It's like $16 on Amazon.
31:28
I'll give it a shot.
31:30
Um the product arrived I think around 12
31:33
1:00. I work from home. So um you know
31:37
the mail came the mail. I took three
31:40
pills which was 600 mg of RALA
31:45
and I didn't realize it but the tingling
31:49
and numbness was slowly going away
31:51
throughout the day. I was doing my last
31:54
walk of the day. I think about 9:00 at
31:57
night and I realized, "Oh, wow. I don't
32:01
feel numb anymore. This is amazing."
32:04
So, I've been finding these little tips
32:07
and tricks along the way. Um, I'm
32:11
supposed to receive
32:14
a $20,000
32:16
8hour IVIG infusion every four weeks for
32:20
the rest of my life in order to keep me
32:22
on two legs. Wow. Now, my insurance
32:25
company
32:27
initially approved me in uh 2021
32:31
and I went through five rounds of
32:33
treatment. I'm in I'm in an infusion
32:36
center. Somebody sitting to my right
32:38
getting um some sort of infusion from
32:42
multiple sclerosis. The person to my
32:45
left is getting chemotherapy for cancer.
32:48
I'm looking around like I I don't belong
32:51
here. This isn't where I'm supposed to
32:52
be. I I'm I'm fine. And um after about
32:57
five treatments, my insurance company
32:58
came back and treatment. They're like,
33:01
"You need to go through more testing."
33:03
And at that point, I'd had blood test,
33:05
MRI, spinal tap, you know, I'd gone
33:09
through every bit of testing they
33:10
needed.
33:12
And they still wanted more.
33:16
So, I was like, "You know what? I I
33:18
don't think so. I you know, you're not
33:20
getting another spinal tap out of me.
33:22
You got one. That's all you get. Um
33:26
I had happened to go online on YouTube.
33:30
Uh randomly a video popped up about this
33:34
young lady beating all of her autoimmune
33:37
diseases with the carnivore diet
33:40
because it's anti-inflammatory.
33:44
>> And so the very next day, I said, "You
33:47
know what? I have nothing to lose.
33:50
The very next day, I tried the carnivore
33:52
diet and it worked.
33:56
I would say within within 3 to 4 days,
33:59
all of my symptoms were gone.
34:03
All the all the numbness, all the
34:04
tingling, every it was gone. Now, my my
34:07
calves are still paralyzed. That's just
34:09
that is what it is.
34:11
>> But everything else went away. when when
34:15
you remove the inflammation, the disease
34:17
can no longer thrive.
34:19
>> Yeah.
34:19
>> So, yeah. I um and I' I've been eating
34:22
that way ever since about four and a
34:25
half years now on on the carnivore diet.
34:28
>> Yeah.
34:28
>> What's your
34:30
uh what's your um meal plan for the day?
34:33
Can you just give me like a like like
34:35
today?
34:36
>> Oh, it's Oh, it's very easy. Very easy.
34:38
I I eat two most days I eat two meals.
34:42
Um, my first meal,
34:46
I have a pound to a pound and a half of
34:48
8020 ground beef.
34:50
>> Okay,
34:51
>> that's it. Second meal, another pound to
34:54
a pound and a half of ground beef.
34:58
And if I get really hungry and throw in
35:00
a third meal, it's exactly the same.
35:03
No more guess work when grocery store, I
35:06
know exactly what I'm buying. Now,
35:08
initially I I did I went to a butcher
35:12
and I would get a big slab of um
35:17
like New York strip and they would cut
35:19
it up for me. So, I get this big slab of
35:21
beef, take it to them, they slice it all
35:22
up and I was doing
35:25
two 14oz New York strip steaks a day and
35:29
then if I was if I was still hungry I
35:31
would have some ground beef. And at this
35:33
time, eggs were like $8 a dozen. I'm not
35:38
paying that. That's crazy. So, I removed
35:41
eggs from my diet. It was just simply
35:43
beef.
35:44
I got to the point where I ate so many
35:47
New York strip steaks. I couldn't stand
35:50
the smell of it anymore. It would it
35:52
would it would physically make me ill. I
35:55
just Oh, and this is like totally a
35:57
first world problem. Like, I just I got
36:00
burned out on stakes. Um, but that's
36:04
that's what happened. But ground beef, I
36:06
could eat it every day. I I've been
36:09
eating pretty much exclusively ground
36:11
beef now for how good uh over two years,
36:19
>> no hot sauces.
36:21
>> I might throw a little hot sauce on it
36:23
sometimes, maybe a little mustard,
36:25
>> but it's mostly just beef and sea salt.
36:30
>> And
36:32
I try to stay away from things like um
36:35
like a sugar-free barbecue sauce. I stay
36:38
away from it because I don't know what's
36:41
in that that my body's going to have a
36:42
reaction to.
36:43
>> That's true. Mhm.
36:45
>> So, but mustard mustard is just mustard,
36:48
you know, there's there's nothing crazy
36:50
to that. Um
36:53
and every once in a great while I'll do
36:55
eggs.
36:57
Um
36:59
but uh yeah, you know, no big deal.
37:06
>> Definitely. You have one of the
37:08
strongest mindset from like from like
37:10
many of the people I I've interviewed.
37:13
So,
37:14
props to you. That's very impressive.
37:17
Yeah.
37:17
>> Well, you know what? I look at it like I
37:20
don't have a choice.
37:21
>> Yeah.
37:22
>> This is what I have to do.
37:25
you know, um I don't want to sit in a
37:28
chair for eight hours
37:32
for for a $20,000 infusion every four
37:37
weeks.
37:38
>> No, I don't want that. And you know
37:40
what? There's somebody out there that
37:43
needs it more than I do.
37:45
>> I'm doing fine just like I am.
37:48
>> Yeah.
37:49
>> So, let somebody else get the IVIG that
37:52
truly needs it. I don't need no now. My
37:56
doctor, my neurologist told me that's
37:59
not going to work. The carnivore diet,
38:01
that's not going to work.
38:04
At that when he told me that, I'd
38:06
already been doing it for 6 months. I
38:08
said, "Doc, it's it's already working."
38:10
He's like, "You'll be back." And when I
38:12
had that problem back in August, I was
38:14
like, "Damn it." He was right. I'm gonna
38:17
have to go back. But, um,
38:21
I've been extremely fortunate. I'm I
38:24
feel very lucky,
38:26
>> you know, to have only lost my calves.
38:30
Um
38:32
I'm extremely fortunate and and I don't
38:34
take that for granted at all. You know,
38:37
every day that that I get up and stand
38:39
up from my bed, oh man, that's amazing.
38:43
You know, I'm I'm very lucky.
38:47
So, yeah, I take nothing for granted.
38:52
For anyone like listening, I really hope
38:56
that they understand that the solutions
38:59
to any problems in life, whether mental
39:01
or physical, isn't always going to be
39:02
the pill or treatment that the doctor
39:04
gives you. It can come from like like
39:08
the $18 supplement you got from Amazon.
39:10
It can be from a change in your diet or
39:13
just getting your steps in to make to
39:16
reduce any further atrophy. There's I
39:19
feel like
39:21
I mean meds can be be a tool and I'm not
39:24
going to discount that meds don't have
39:25
its part in society but then there's
39:27
like there's other million things you
39:30
can do in changing your lifestyle habits
39:32
that can also make just as big or if not
39:36
bigger of an impact. But then I feel
39:39
like people just shy away from it just
39:40
because it requires work, requires a
39:43
little bit of discomfort or a little bit
39:45
of pain. now.
39:49
But
39:51
>> yeah, I would say
39:51
>> absolutely right.
39:53
>> Yes, sir. I
39:56
for someone who's watching this and they
40:01
kind of they're about to start their 708
40:04
taper. They've seen all the they've
40:06
heard about all the horror stories that
40:08
comes with the withdrawals. What's a
40:11
actionable step or tip you can provide
40:14
for that one person um to help them take
40:17
their first step into this journey? The
40:20
first thing
40:23
is you have to first believe that you
40:25
can stop,
40:28
>> you know, and you have to you have to
40:30
want to,
40:32
you know, all those times I was taking
40:34
quit K and taking no other action. I
40:37
didn't want to quit because I thought I
40:39
couldn't quit. I didn't I honestly
40:42
didn't think I could,
40:44
you know, and and that made me feel very
40:46
weak,
40:48
you know. I felt like a like a junkie.
40:50
Like great, this drug has a hold on me.
40:54
Um I I I didn't know what to do. I I
40:58
really didn't. You have to first believe
41:01
that you can do it.
41:04
You know, think back to any any
41:06
difficult time you've ever had in your
41:08
life and how you came out of that. You
41:11
know, at that time, you might be in it
41:13
thinking, I I don't know how I'm going
41:14
to get out of this, but you did.
41:17
So, you have to first believe that you
41:20
can do it. Um,
41:24
and I don't know what is in your product
41:27
that that works so well, but it uh it's
41:32
seriously amazing. It it really is. I
41:35
can't thank you enough. I mean, you're
41:37
saving me thousands of dollars.
41:41
So, it's No, it's it's been really
41:43
really great. I don't know what's in it
41:45
or how it does what it does, but it it
41:48
just completely took away my desire to
41:51
want 70 orratom.
41:54
Um,
41:57
no withdrawals at all.
42:00
And anybody call me a liar. Call me a
42:02
liar. Go ahead. By all means, I'm a paid
42:04
actor. I'm lying to you to buy unwind.
42:08
I'm not. Try it for yourself. Just try
42:12
it. It works.
42:15
You know, it's
42:17
I I
42:19
People are gonna, you know, people are
42:21
going to say I'm lying.
42:22
>> People are going to say I'm paid.
42:26
>> Not at all. You know, I I'll show you my
42:28
receipts. If you don't believe me, I'll
42:30
show you my receipts. You know, the
42:32
things I bought, I bought it all. I paid
42:33
for everything myself.
42:35
>> So,
42:37
>> no, it's it's really been amazing.
42:41
Just like how you said, you have to
42:43
believe it that everything stems from
42:45
the mind. And the reason why you
42:46
couldn't quit was because of the mind.
42:49
And our main goal is to target the mind,
42:52
help calm things down. So
42:54
>> something between those two pieces
42:56
worked and just clicked for you. And I I
42:58
do believe that quick quick also
43:01
probably played a factor into this
43:03
because I always say whenever you want
43:05
something in life or
43:08
it's usually not um or especially when
43:11
it comes to like mental health or
43:13
addiction and stuff like that, there's
43:15
no single tool
43:17
that's going to magically fix
43:19
everything. The answer comes from
43:21
stacking multiple tools and lifestyle
43:24
habits. And I feel like maybe there was
43:26
just some synergy between us and QuickK
43:28
and I should reach out to them for a
43:29
partnership or something.
43:32
>> Yeah.
43:32
>> Well, it was it was your product that
43:34
took away the desire.
43:36
>> Yeah.
43:37
>> You know, it I wasn't even thinking of
43:40
and there have been days where I woke up
43:43
in the morning, I didn't have any 70 and
43:45
I say, you know what, I feel fine. I'm
43:47
not going to take any today.
43:50
And then an hour later, two hours later,
43:53
I was like, "Well, I could take a little
43:55
bit,
43:56
>> you know, and it doesn't it doesn't last
43:58
very long before I'm back at the store
44:00
buying more."
44:03
But now
44:05
I just go about my day and do what I
44:07
have to do. And there's there's
44:10
something very fulfilling internally
44:14
about doing that,
44:17
not giving in and, you know, going to
44:21
buy more, spending more money. No, I I
44:24
don't have to, you know, my my body
44:27
doesn't want it. Mentally, I don't want
44:30
it.
44:31
So,
44:33
you know, but it's it's it's so much of
44:35
this is mental. And even with the
44:37
withdrawals
44:39
mentally, you probably
44:42
the withdrawals hit me mentally first
44:44
because I'm afraid of how my body's
44:47
going to feel or you know what's going
44:48
to happen.
44:50
>> So, you know, mentally I psyched myself
44:52
out about the withdrawals
44:55
before I even had them.
44:58
So, you know, mind is powerful. It's
45:01
very powerful.
45:04
Have you ever seen those YouTube videos
45:06
of monks that do like super crazy stuff
45:09
with like just their body? Like they
45:10
will be like meditating out in like the
45:12
blizzard or they're like standing on
45:14
spikes and stuff like that because
45:17
>> walking on or Yeah.
45:19
>> Yeah.
45:23
>> Yes, sir. Well, Tennis, I always like to
45:27
wrap up these podcasts with three speed
45:30
round questions just as to throw you
45:31
some curve balls before I let you go.
45:33
>> Okay.
45:34
>> Are you ready?
45:34
>> Yes.
45:37
>> If you can if you can snap your fingers
45:40
and you had two weeks of paid vacation,
45:42
you can be anywhere in the world. Where
45:43
are you going to be?
45:44
>> Peru.
45:47
>> Yes.
45:47
>> Have you been?
45:48
>> Not yet. I'm actually going in January.
45:51
>> Oh, nice. But but I've heard I've heard
45:53
amazing things. Uh one of my oldest
45:56
friends lives there and he keeps trying
45:58
to get me to go, but he's getting
45:59
married in January, so I'm going.
46:03
>> Nice.
46:04
>> Yes. Looking forward to it.
46:07
>> If you were in a alternative universe
46:10
and you can have any career you've ever
46:13
wanted, do you think you would have
46:14
pursued the same career or would you
46:16
pursue something else?
46:19
The reason that I've done what I've done
46:21
as long as I've done it is because I
46:23
truly enjoy it.
46:24
>> There's something very
46:27
uh satisfying
46:29
about
46:31
taking this piece of paper, someone's
46:33
resume,
46:35
giving it to this person, and it changes
46:37
this person's life. You know, I've, you
46:41
know, if you're familiar with the five
46:42
love languages, my love language is acts
46:45
of service.
46:46
So, you know, helping others.
46:49
And
46:52
during the recession of 2008, I was
46:54
working for a company called General
46:56
Dynamics, military defense company.
46:58
Times were very tough. You know, people
47:01
were unemployed. They're losing their
47:03
house, their cars, their marriages,
47:04
everything's falling apart. And I
47:07
remember
47:09
I had this gentleman interview for an
47:11
engineering role at General Dynamics. He
47:14
did great. Killed it. the company calls
47:16
me. We want to hire him. Okay, great. I
47:18
call the candidate. Hey, just want to
47:20
see how your interview went today. He's
47:22
beat down at this point. He's like, you
47:24
know, I I don't know. I probably bombed
47:26
it. You know, it's times are tough for
47:29
him. And I said, you know, if we were to
47:32
offer you this role right now, what do
47:34
you think you'd say? And he said, well,
47:36
well, of course, I would accept it. And
47:38
I said, good, because that's exactly
47:40
what I'm calling to do. And this grown
47:43
man broke down on the phone and started
47:44
crying because this had such a huge
47:47
impact on his life.
47:49
>> You know, he said, you know, thank you
47:51
so much. You changed my life. You saved
47:53
my life. You saved my marriage. You
47:56
know, because of this, this guy isn't
47:58
going to lose his home. He's not going
48:01
to have this wife that doesn't believe
48:02
in him anymore or or kids that, you
48:04
know, that's he's going to have kids
48:06
that still look up to him.
48:08
>> You know, as a man, he's still
48:10
fulfilling his duties.
48:12
So yeah, there's something very powerful
48:15
about that that
48:18
keeps me doing what I do. You know, it's
48:21
I mean, like any other job, there are
48:23
days that are terrible, but there have
48:26
been more good days than bad. And I've
48:28
changed. I very weird phone number. If I
48:32
were to call you, it's going to come up
48:34
as Flint, Michigan. Not the most
48:37
desirable no number to have, but I've
48:40
had that number for over 20 years. And
48:42
there are people I haven't talked to in
48:44
five or 10 years that when they're
48:46
looking for a new opportunity, they call
48:48
me,
48:50
hey, you know, I'm looking for a new
48:52
job. do you know of anything or you know
48:56
and I don't want to change my number
48:57
just for that reason because I don't
48:59
know whose life I could change you know
49:02
today or tomorrow or you know somebody's
49:04
looking for a job and I happen to have
49:05
one or know about one
49:07
>> so I keep my same shitty phone number of
49:10
my life so
49:13
yeah I'd keep doing what I'm doing now
49:21
If
49:25
no, if what is the most important thing
49:28
to you right now?
49:33
My health.
49:36
Because
49:39
like I said, tomorrow I could be
49:41
paralyzed.
49:42
>> Mhm.
49:43
>> You know, if if that happens, what it
49:46
means for me is I'm going to spend my
49:47
next couple of years in a hospital.
49:51
I'll lose my dog. I'll lose my job. I'll
49:54
lose my house. I'll lose everything.
49:58
And after those couple of years, once
49:59
I've learned how to walk again,
50:03
go back out and get a job starting from
50:06
basically the bottom because times have
50:08
changed, technology has has developed,
50:11
things are different.
50:13
>> So, I'm 46 now.
50:16
Can you imagine starting your career
50:18
over at 50?
50:20
>> No. Really hard.
50:22
>> Yeah. So, me eating the way that I do,
50:26
me exercising the way that I do, me
50:28
having these things just these
50:30
non-negotiables in my life,
50:33
that's what keeps me exactly where I'm
50:36
at.
50:38
You know, if if I start to veer off path
50:40
of any of those things,
50:43
everything that I value could be gone
50:45
tomorrow.
50:51
So yeah, it's my health.
50:56
Then you share a story. I feel like this
50:59
this is a story of
51:02
overcoming a lot of because if any if an
51:06
average person went through just even a
51:07
fraction of went of what you went
51:09
through just like we what we talked
51:11
about that mind would be struggling a
51:14
lot and I feel like it would be a very
51:18
it would be very hard to persevere but
51:20
you've clearly showed that you have like
51:22
this inner grit or this inner
51:24
perseverance and it's gotten you to
51:27
where you
51:28
to where you have overcome all these
51:30
challenges and I really thank you for
51:31
sharing that.
51:33
>> You know what it comes from being
51:37
a very poor white kid with a single mom
51:40
that grew up on government assistance
51:42
and just wanted more.
51:44
>> Mhm.
51:45
>> You know, when when I was when I was
51:47
young, it was just my mother and I. We
51:49
were on government assistance. We lived
51:51
in the ghetto,
51:53
you know, in this one-bedroom awful
51:56
apartment. There used to be, and this is
51:59
the early 80s. There used to be gang
52:02
riots outside of our apartment,
52:05
and we would have to go to the back
52:07
bedroom in the furthest corner and kind
52:11
of hide in case bullets started coming
52:13
through the walls.
52:16
you know, when when you grow up like
52:17
that and and you don't have anything,
52:21
you know, but you see that there's more
52:23
out there in the world,
52:27
you go after that, you know, that life
52:29
can be better.
52:31
>> Yeah.
52:31
>> So, I've I've done that. I've I've done
52:35
all of these amazing things and I've
52:38
I've had all of these amazing things
52:40
that that as a child I wanted. You know,
52:43
cars that cost a couple hundred,000,
52:46
you know, million-doll house and, you
52:48
know, I have a closet full of 50 Air
52:51
Jordans that I've never worn and I never
52:53
will. I'm almost 50. Why am I going to
52:55
wear these? But it was just, you know,
52:57
proving something to myself
53:01
that I was enough or that I had
53:03
succeeded. And and I think that's where
53:06
that mindset comes from is not wanting
53:10
to go back there. And I think my whole
53:13
life it's been about proving something
53:15
to myself and others,
53:18
you know.
53:20
So yeah, that's that's where that comes
53:22
from.
53:24
If you want something, you can get it.
53:26
You can whatever you want in life,
53:29
especially if that one other guy or that
53:31
one other girl got it, then I can get
53:33
it.
53:33
>> If any if somebody else has done this,
53:35
there's no reason you can't. You know,
53:37
you just you have to have that mindset
53:39
about it.
53:40
>> If others can do it, there's no reason
53:41
you can't.
53:43
Are they better than you? No.
53:46
>> They're human, too.
53:48
>> Exactly.
53:49
>> They bleed the same red.
53:51
>> Yes. Absolutely.
53:54
Well, Dennis,
53:56
thank you again. And for the audience,
53:57
if you guys have any questions for
53:59
Dennis, leave a comment down below. I'll
54:01
shoot him a text and try to get some
54:03
answers for you guys. But that wraps
54:06
everything up. I thank you all for
54:08
listening and wish you all a healthy and
54:10
happy day. Peace.