Latest / hol+ with Dr. Taz MD | The Future of Medicine is Holistic / The MRI That Found His Kidney Cancer and Why Looking Fit Is Not the Same as Being Healthy with Cameron Mathison
Transcript
- [00:00:00] **Cameron Mathison:** The calorie restriction, the overexertion, the extreme diets, the pushing yourself, the [00:00:05] not so great supplements, and it works for a little while until it doesn't. [00:00:09] **Dr. Taz:** Mm. You [00:00:10] have pursued health and wellness even before a diagnosis- Yeah ... after a diagnosis. [00:00:14] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah. I [00:00:15] was so lost and frustrated. I had this feeling, this sense [00:00:20] that there was something more serious going on. [00:00:21] **Cameron Mathison:** So they found the kidney cancer because of that process, because [00:00:25] of me just being, just- Being an [00:00:27] **Dr. Taz:** advocate [00:00:27] **Cameron Mathison:** for yourself, right? Being a real advocate for my own health- Yeah ... and [00:00:30] just knowing something was off, and it saved my life. [00:00:32] **Dr. Taz:** All right, I'm gonna get really vulnerable with you guys and [00:00:35] share a personal story. [00:00:36] **Dr. Taz:** The year is 2019. We were getting ready to [00:00:40] go to Italy for my sister's wedding. I have a baby sister. She's actually 20 years younger than me. [00:00:45] The night before the wedding, my husband reaches over to me and tells me he's not feeling very well. [00:00:50] Over the next few minutes, I found him getting more and more uncomfortable, writhing around in [00:00:55] the bed, and at first, we both thought it was simply reflux, but it wasn't.[00:01:00] [00:01:00] **Dr. Taz:** As the hours progressed, he got worse and worse, and long story short, [00:01:05] he was actually suffering from a heart attack. I called 911. We got him help. He's [00:01:10] fine. He was only 41 years old, and today, years later, [00:01:15] that night still sort of jars my mind. I can't believe [00:01:20] we're okay. I can't believe he's okay, but I also know that his health is [00:01:25] very precarious. [00:01:26] **Dr. Taz:** This is the story I see with so many of the men I meet in [00:01:30] practice day in and day out, and it's not a story I ever wanna see repeated. What if something [00:01:35] else had happened that night? What if he actually passed away? What if we had been on the plane on [00:01:40] an international trip to a foreign country? So many what-ifs, and thankfully, [00:01:45] we were protected, and our family continues to thrive and do well But I [00:01:50] don't want a repeat of this for anyone. [00:01:53] **Dr. Taz:** And so I wanna advocate for [00:01:55] men, and I think it's important for all of us as women to really be paying attention to the health [00:02:00] of men in our lives. That's why I brought my next guest on. [00:02:05] He's had an incredible story, a healing journey. He's been an advocate for health and [00:02:10] wellness, and he's an example for men in how to live healthfully and really [00:02:15] tackle every year, every day, and even the future with zest. [00:02:19] **Dr. Taz:** Let me introduce [00:02:20] you to Cameron Mathison. You guys already know him. He's an Emmy Award-winning actor, a [00:02:25] TV host. He's been on All My Children, General Hospital. I met him when I was doing [00:02:30] segments on Home and Family, and I have loved his spirit and really his [00:02:35] passion for health and wellness, and I can't wait for him to share his journey with all of you. [00:02:39] **Dr. Taz:** [00:02:40] Welcome, Cameron- Hello ... to the show. Thanks so much. I, this is such an honor. Cameron, this is a little [00:02:45] surreal for me, honestly, because I think I might have watched you for a really long time on [00:02:50] one of the soap operas. Maybe General Hospital, maybe All My Children. Yeah, yeah. I don't remember which one. Cool. [00:02:54] **Dr. Taz:** I was in- Before [00:02:55] we finally met- Right, right ... you know, on different, uh, you know, Home and Family- That's right ... some of the different shows. [00:03:00] And, you know, I think we've always connected around health and wellness- Mm-hmm ... and what it means to [00:03:05] be healthy. And as I was sort of putting together this show and it, you know, sort [00:03:10] of visioning what I wanted, you know, you were such a great... [00:03:13] **Dr. Taz:** You came to mind because I feel [00:03:15] like you've had a journey. You have pursued health and wellness even, you know, before [00:03:20] a diagnosis- Yeah ... after a diagnosis. Yeah. You know what it's like for everybody out there. You've, you've [00:03:25] walked that walk. Yeah. Right? So when we think about being whole and how [00:03:30] the science and the spirit have to merge together to really create healing journeys for people- Mm[00:03:35] [00:03:35] **Dr. Taz:** you came to mind right away. Ah. So welcome. Welcome to the show. [00:03:38] **Cameron Mathison:** Thank you so much. That means so much to me. I'm so excited [00:03:39] **Dr. Taz:** to [00:03:40] have [00:03:40] **Cameron Mathison:** you here. I'm excited to be here. It's so cool for me, too, because obviously, you know, when we met [00:03:45] on, I, I was interviewing you- Yeah, yeah ... on the show and learned a little bit about you and what you [00:03:50] do. [00:03:50] **Cameron Mathison:** Right. And then right away I connected with you, followed you on Inst- You know- Yeah ... and since then, you know, I've been... Uh, [00:03:55] anyway, this is really a nice full circle moment for me. Well, [00:03:57] **Dr. Taz:** I- So thank you ... I'm, I have a million questions for you, [00:04:00] but I wanna get right to one of the big ones. You know, how did you even fall [00:04:05] into becoming such an advocate around health and wellness? [00:04:08] **Dr. Taz:** You know, y- I see you talk about [00:04:10] it a lot. I see you encouraging others to pursue their own health and wellness journey. Give us a little [00:04:15] bit of... You know, we all know what an amazing actor you're, and, you know, an Emmy Award-winning actor. We all [00:04:20] know kind of that side of Cameron. But I don't think a lot of people know the depths of your own [00:04:25] health journey. [00:04:26] **Dr. Taz:** So share, maybe give us a little window into that. [00:04:28] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah, I mean, it's been a, [00:04:30] it's, it's been, it's a long, it's a bit of a long story, so I'm gonna try and keep it really short. But when I was, uh, y- [00:04:35] young, um, uh, like really young, like t- two and a half, I was diagnosed with a degenerative bone [00:04:40] disease called Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, which is a degenerative bone disease usually in, in one of [00:04:45] the femurs, but I had it bilateral in both femurs. [00:04:47] **Cameron Mathison:** So I, I, I couldn't walk until I was seven, [00:04:50] and, um, it was al- already like a kind of a rough start health and, [00:04:55] um, activity-wise for me as a young kid. And, you know, I wore that, a big metal [00:05:00] A-frame brace my whole young life. I didn't walk or, you know, I wore it when I slept and everything [00:05:05] So I guess the point, uh, the way that that fits in is, um, I think [00:05:10] because of that experience, I've always been... [00:05:13] **Cameron Mathison:** Like from the very beginning, I'd been [00:05:15] getting x-rays and, and tests and MRI. Like they, well, they didn't have MRIs then, but, um, [00:05:20] and since then, I just really was aware of [00:05:25] my, my body and my health, and I really tried to [00:05:30] kind of... I think o- on some level, I, I, I learned to identify with myself [00:05:35] as, you know, this is not the PC term, but this is the term that- Right. [00:05:37] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah ... like the crippled kid. Yeah. Like, you know? [00:05:40] Um, and I- How, so [00:05:40] **Dr. Taz:** how old are you when this is all going [00:05:42] **Cameron Mathison:** on? Well, but from two and a half years old to seven. To [00:05:44] **Dr. Taz:** [00:05:45] seven. [00:05:45] **Cameron Mathison:** So [00:05:45] **Dr. Taz:** yeah. Okay, yep. Okay. [00:05:46] **Cameron Mathison:** So, and, um, and coming out of that experience, I just [00:05:50] tried to really kinda be active and healthy and strong and, [00:05:55] um, and through the years, you know, playing sports and doing other things, [00:06:00] um, it just became a real part of who I was, and then I get into, like, the TV [00:06:05] world- Right [00:06:05] **Cameron Mathison:** um, and, you know, having to take my shirt off half the time on soap operas and- [00:06:10] [00:06:10] **Dr. Taz:** That'll do it. [00:06:11] **Cameron Mathison:** Um, you know, y- you become aware of, of the aesthetics- Right ... of the physique [00:06:15] aspect- Right ... which doesn't necessarily, um, you know, correspond to being healthy. To health, [00:06:19] **Dr. Taz:** right. Right. [00:06:19] **Cameron Mathison:** [00:06:20] And I think I went through... So getting around to your, your question, I think I went through a lot of unhealthy [00:06:25] ways to look fit and healthy- Mm [00:06:28] **Cameron Mathison:** um, in this world, [00:06:30] which I think a lot of people do, and it works for a little while [00:06:35] until it doesn't. [00:06:35] **Dr. Taz:** Hm. [00:06:36] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah. Like the, you know, calorie restriction, the overexertion, the [00:06:40] extreme diets, the pushing yourself, the, the not-so-great supplements. Back in the day, they [00:06:45] had things in supplements that are illegal now. [00:06:47] **Cameron Mathison:** Right. Things like ephedra and whatever. Yep. Mm-hmm. So I was that guy. [00:06:49] **Dr. Taz:** [00:06:50] Yeah. [00:06:50] **Cameron Mathison:** And I was known on TV as this, like, fit, you know, good bodied [00:06:55] whatever. Meanwhile, inside I think I was really taxing my body, and I know I was [00:07:00] because eventually those things stop working. Um, your metabolism gets off, your hormones get outta whack. [00:07:04] **Cameron Mathison:** My gut [00:07:05] health was a mess. I didn't necessarily know it for a long time, um, but then [00:07:10] eventually I did, uh, through realizing that I just, I couldn't build the muscle, I [00:07:15] couldn't get as lean, I didn't have the energy. Why, what is all this gut distention and [00:07:20] bloating going on with me? Um, whenever I- So [00:07:22] **Dr. Taz:** how long? [00:07:23] **Dr. Taz:** Yup. So just to paint, like, to paint it [00:07:25] on a map for ... Because I hear this from patients all the time. Mm-hmm. How long are you at, like, this [00:07:30] Like, you think you're healthy but you're not journey. How l- how long are you engaged in that? Which is, [00:07:35] right, like I think we've all- Yeah ... I mean, that's actually how I got sick too. [00:07:37] **Dr. Taz:** Yep. You know, getting up to run at 3:00 and 4:00 [00:07:40] o'clock in the morning- Right ... to make it to the hospital by 5:00. Wow. And, and then having Diet Coke and popcorn and- Right ... it [00:07:45] was low calorie, right? Right. So it was healthy. [00:07:47] **Dr. Taz:** Right. [00:07:47] **Dr. Taz:** But, like, how long were you in that [00:07:50] phase, you know, of, of health? Yeah. Where you thought that undereating, [00:07:55] overexerting, and what were you doing to build muscle back then? [00:07:58] **Dr. Taz:** I'm so curious. Like, how long were you in [00:08:00] that phase? [00:08:00] **Cameron Mathison:** I just didn't know how to build muscle. I just didn't know what... I was going to the gym and lifting. Yeah. Uh, like I was ... There was [00:08:05] resistance training, but I wasn't doing it in a way... Like when your body is overly stressed- Right ... and your [00:08:10] cortisol levels are through the roof and you're not really feeding your body properly while you resistance train, I mean, it's [00:08:15] like you're swimming upstream. [00:08:15] **Cameron Mathison:** You're not going anywhere. Yeah. [00:08:16] **Dr. Taz:** Yeah. [00:08:17] **Cameron Mathison:** Um, but it was probably, to answer your question, probably [00:08:20] about maybe, um, 15 years of that. [00:08:24] **Dr. Taz:** Wow. [00:08:24] **Cameron Mathison:** [00:08:25] 15 years of that, and, uh, it really worked okay for a [00:08:30] while. You know, super lean, and the more lean you are, obviously on camera you look muscular. Right. [00:08:35] Right. Even though I was kinda shrinking. [00:08:36] **Cameron Mathison:** I've e- even had executive producers come take me aside and say, "Cameron, you're, like, you're [00:08:40] losing weight." Oh my gosh. Yeah. "You look skinny, like your neck and your face." Yeah. Um, uh, [00:08:45] you know, b- just because I'm, I'm lean and you can see definition, [00:08:50] the size was shrinking. My parents would say it to me and I would be like- Man [00:08:53] **Cameron Mathison:** "What are you talking about? I'm shredded," and all this. Right. [00:08:55] Like, it was ridiculous. Um, and my body was just under a lot of stress, a [00:09:00] lot of... Just very taxing. [00:09:01] **Dr. Taz:** Were you checking any of that? Was anyone like- Not at that time ... engaging in those [00:09:05] conversations? Not at that time. Like, where's cortisol? Where's your stress? [00:09:07] **Dr. Taz:** Breaking [00:09:07] **Cameron Mathison:** down. Not at all. I never even heard of cortisol. No. Yeah. I, I [00:09:10] wouldn't know... I wouldn't know what, like I wouldn't know anything. Right. I wouldn't have thought, um... So [00:09:15] I should say also, through that time- Yeah .... and this is gonna, you know, you... This will speak to you, I think. Right. [00:09:20] Through that time, I developed acid reflux. [00:09:22] **Cameron Mathison:** Mm. So we all know, like, through stress and through [00:09:25] different things as you get older, you start producing less stomach acid. There's a lot of different factors than can, [00:09:30] that could play into, um, acid reflux. So I wa- started taking [00:09:35] PPIs, protein pump inhibitors, um, from doctor's prescription and over the [00:09:40] counter For many years Mm. [00:09:43] **Cameron Mathison:** And, and I didn't [00:09:45] understand why, um, it was getting worse. I was taking, I [00:09:50] was taking the doctor's, um, advice. And I know i- it's good advice, and these things [00:09:55] can be helpful in, in the short term. Uh, but for 12 years I was taking this, and, [00:10:00] um, it destroyed my gut microbiome. It, it stopped any acid [00:10:05] production in my stomach. [00:10:06] **Cameron Mathison:** Um, for those that, that don't know, and I don't know if you can say this 'cause you're an MD- Right ... but I [00:10:10] can say it, um, that most of acid reflux is not caused from [00:10:15] too much acid in your stomach. Okay. It's caused from too little acid production in your stomach, which doesn't digest your food [00:10:20] properly, which ferments in your gut, which causes a bacterial overgrowth, which produces all sorts- Wow [00:10:24] **Cameron Mathison:** of problems, and [00:10:25] it can blow your esophageal valve open- [00:10:26] **Dr. Taz:** Are you sure you're not a doctor? .... [00:10:27] **Cameron Mathison:** and, and le- and, and let, and let the [00:10:30] acid come up into your esophagus, acid that you need in your stomach. Right, right. But they ... But [00:10:35] oftentimes, and acutely it's okay, but for, you know, if it's chronic, they treat the [00:10:40] symptom of acid coming up in your esophagus with anti-acid [00:10:45] medication, which perpetuates the problem of not digesting your food [00:10:50] probli- properly, and, uh, causing some fermentation and bacterial overgrowth, and H. [00:10:54] **Cameron Mathison:** pylori, [00:10:55] and, you know, leaky gut and et cetera. So I was perpetuating the problem for a long time. Uh, my [00:11:00] s- my so my point in bringing that into this whole process is I could see [00:11:05] things slipping. Right. Like, I could see that I wasn't getting ... I could feel not getting nutrient [00:11:10] absorption from the food anymore. [00:11:10] **Cameron Mathison:** Hm. I could feel, like, this crazy distension that started [00:11:15] happening, like bloating and distention in my gut where it was never there before over the years. [00:11:20] Um, I could t- I could just tell things were going wrong. Um, and so [00:11:25] t- I hadn't done any testing. Eventually, the first testing I did was for the acid reflux to see, [00:11:30] and of course it was, you know, through the roof. [00:11:32] **Cameron Mathison:** You know that test where you lie down- Yes, yes ... and then you drink the [00:11:35] chalk thing- Yep, mm-hmm ... and then, um ... And then th- so [00:11:40] I'll let you ask more questions, but that's where my, my real healing [00:11:45] proper health journey began- Began, yep ... through after 10 or 11 years of [00:11:50] being on those PPIs, protein pump inhibitors I started doing my own [00:11:55] res- it didn't make sense to me why I was taking and doing what the doctors were telling me to [00:12:00] do, and why things were getting worse. [00:12:02] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah. And why I needed then two pills a day, and, [00:12:05] and I couldn't go six hours without taking it. Mm. Like, it was, it didn't make sense to me. So I was perpetuating the [00:12:10] problem by treating symptoms, and then eventually I started looking at root causes [00:12:15] and, and, and treating the, the, the real problem. [00:12:17] **Dr. Taz:** I was, I was looking at an interview you did, I don't [00:12:20] remember which one it was, but, you know, and in many of the interviews you talk about, like, [00:12:25] long-standing abdominal pain. [00:12:26] **Dr. Taz:** It was there for a very long period of time. Yeah, yeah. Right? And [00:12:30] then finally in 2019, the rug kinda got pulled out- Right ... from under you. [00:12:33] **Cameron Mathison:** Right. [00:12:33] **Dr. Taz:** You know, [00:12:35] I often see this in practice, right? Where there's been this sort of hum of something for a very long period [00:12:40] of time. Yeah. But what happened in 2019? [00:12:42] **Dr. Taz:** What, what took place there? [00:12:43] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah. So the, the r- [00:12:45] um, it's true, and at, and at that point I'd, I'd been doing a lot of testing. Blood work and gut work and, [00:12:50] um, different types of hormone testing and things and, and nothing was changing, and I was going to [00:12:55] see some of the best doctors in, in the country to- [00:12:57] **Dr. Taz:** Mm-hmm [00:12:57] **Cameron Mathison:** try to heal my gut and th- fix this. So why is my [00:13:00] blood work, why is my white blood cell count off, and I just couldn't figure it out, and it was a l- just, I was... It, [00:13:05] maybe people at home can relate to this too. I was so lost [00:13:10] and frustrated 'cause I'm, here I am, the healthy guy, doing everything right, [00:13:15] very determined in my diets and my lifestyle and th- and thinking that I was doing things right- Right [00:13:19] **Cameron Mathison:** I should say. [00:13:19] **Dr. Taz:** And [00:13:20] with access, right? You're in California. Exactly right. The healthiest place, supposedly the healthiest place, [00:13:25] right? With access to all these people. [00:13:26] **Cameron Mathison:** Right. [00:13:26] **Dr. Taz:** But still not able to get the answers. [00:13:28] **Cameron Mathison:** Exactly. And, [00:13:30] um, so the first piece of the puzzle was to your point, in 2019 I had been [00:13:35] asking for an MRI in my gut area 'cause I thought that I could just... [00:13:38] **Cameron Mathison:** I had this feeling, this [00:13:40] sense that there was something more serious going on. And, um, m- I think my [00:13:45] doctors very, very wisely, like n- no knock to them, were like, "Listen, it's okay." 'Cause I thought I had cancer. Right. [00:13:50] And they said, "Listen, let's just try this and do this, and let's try another st- strategy." And, and so for [00:13:55] two years I was asking and I didn't take an MRI. [00:13:57] **Cameron Mathison:** And then eventually I was like, [00:14:00] "I need to get an MRI. I just know I need to." And, um, when I [00:14:05] did they, they, they started in my abdomen and then I could feel, when I was lying there, I could feel, you know [00:14:10] how they, they had to readjust you and be like, "We gotta start again." And I was like, [00:14:15] "Oh, that's not good." [00:14:16] **Dr. Taz:** Mm. [00:14:17] **Cameron Mathison:** So, uh, they found the kidney cancer. Yeah, because, [00:14:20] uh, because of that process, because of me just being, just be- Being an [00:14:23] **Dr. Taz:** advocate for [00:14:24] **Cameron Mathison:** yourself ... be- being [00:14:25] a real advocate- Right? Yeah ... for my own health and just knowing something was off. And looking at the, the tests and the blood work, it's [00:14:30] not about being out there and being a hypochondriac. [00:14:32] **Cameron Mathison:** Like, I really was trying to knock [00:14:35] things off, you know- the, j- sort of check things off the list [00:14:40] before I went to, "Oh, run off and get an MRI." Right. "I got cancer." Right. You know? But eventually it was like, this has to be [00:14:45] done, and it saved my life 'cause, um, in a way, I'd like to think it did. It, it's kidney cancer, [00:14:50] and kidney cancer's quite treatable if it hasn't spread. [00:14:52] **Cameron Mathison:** Right. It'd been growing in me, they think, eight to 10 years, just by [00:14:55] the, the typical speed of growth of these tumors and the fact, um, [00:15:00] how si- the size of it. It hadn't spread, which for those that have been through a [00:15:05] kidney cancer, um, journey, that is a huge deal. Right. Um, and [00:15:10] so I like to think, I think the doctors, some of them anyway, feel that because of my [00:15:15] healthy lifestyle, didn't have the energy to spread. [00:15:16] **Cameron Mathison:** If it, since it was growing for so long, it's rare that it wouldn't have spread, I think. But, [00:15:20] um, and so we did, um, surgery, no chemo or [00:15:25] radiation necessary, and yeah, it's five years now, five years plus- Ooh ... that I've been cancer- [00:15:29] **Dr. Taz:** Cancer free ... [00:15:29] **Cameron Mathison:** [00:15:30] cancer free. [00:15:30] **Dr. Taz:** Yes. [00:15:30] **Cameron Mathison:** So. [00:15:31] **Dr. Taz:** Amazing. [00:15:32] **Cameron Mathison:** So far so good. [00:15:33] **Dr. Taz:** You know, I just hate, though, [00:15:35] that it takes a diagnoses, right- Mm [00:15:36] **Dr. Taz:** like to, to really shift course or shift direction. Yep. Yep. [00:15:40] I, I sit with so many people and, and we walk that journey for sure. You know, what did that [00:15:45] diagnosis do in terms of how you move forward, and what did healing look like for you, too? Yeah. I'm so [00:15:50] curious, like, you know, how did you walk through that? [00:15:52] **Dr. Taz:** Because so many people, first of all, [00:15:55] intuitively, you know, think something's going on, finally get the confirmation, and then [00:16:00] it's scary, you know? Yeah. And it- it's scary to walk that journey, so [00:16:05] curious how you crafted your own journey. Who was there kind of standing by you? How much did [00:16:10] community matter? [00:16:11] **Dr. Taz:** Like, you know, give us a sense of what that looked like. [00:16:13] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah, those are all really good [00:16:15] questions and really good points for something like this for anybody that's been through it. Yeah. Um, first [00:16:20] of all, I think the first thing that went through my mind obviously was fear. Like, I, I didn't [00:16:25] know what a kidney cancer diagnosis meant necessarily as far as the gra- the big [00:16:30] picture of things. [00:16:30] **Cameron Mathison:** I thought about my kids, I thought about my life, I thought about, you know, you... I literally in that [00:16:35] moment where I got the phone call, I hope nobody has to feel this, like it, it li- [00:16:40] it actually felt like things slowed down. [00:16:42] **Dr. Taz:** Mm. [00:16:43] **Cameron Mathison:** And everything peripherally went out of [00:16:45] focus, and it was just like And you're getting the call and you're finding out that you got ca- So [00:16:50] mad. [00:16:50] **Cameron Mathison:** Ugh ... it was so surreal. Um, because even though I [00:16:55] asked for the MRI for a couple years, I didn't really, like, you don't really [00:17:00] believe it. You know? Like, I, at least I didn't. And then when it came in, I'm like, "This is real." [00:17:04] **Dr. Taz:** [00:17:05] Mm. [00:17:05] **Cameron Mathison:** Um, and so that was the first step. Part... And the second thing that [00:17:10] came out eventually when I had to kind of discuss it on Home and Family and- [00:17:12] **Dr. Taz:** Yeah. [00:17:13] **Dr. Taz:** Yeah ... [00:17:13] **Cameron Mathison:** was I was a little- I remember that ... I was a [00:17:15] little embarrassed I do remember that Like, I, I, it's like- Feels like [00:17:17] **Dr. Taz:** failure, [00:17:18] **Cameron Mathison:** right? Yeah. Yeah. A little bit. Yeah. Yeah. Like, [00:17:20] you know, I'm fail- Yeah ... you know, I'm this guy that's supposed to be, like, super healthy and fit guy and, um, [00:17:25] and obviously that doesn't necessarily matter and, and also, um, I was doing a lot of things wrong and, [00:17:30] um, so I had that aspect to it. [00:17:32] **Cameron Mathison:** Um, I [00:17:35] immediately, uh, you know, told Vanessa and she and I [00:17:40] kind of worked through it together and I found a great doctor at, at USC Keck, uh, Dr. Indubir Gill, who's [00:17:45] one of the renowned urologists in the country, and I just happened to get, like, a [00:17:50] slot with him. [00:17:51] **Dr. Taz:** Mm. [00:17:51] **Cameron Mathison:** He was amazing. So, like, again, to your point, so lucky.[00:17:55] [00:17:55] **Cameron Mathison:** You know, you're in a po- you're in a place where I've got insurance, I've got a great doctor- Right. Right ... I've got all these [00:18:00] connections, and that's one of the reasons that through this, and we'll get to this, that was so important for me to [00:18:05] spread awareness for being your best advocate, your own advocate for your health. [00:18:08] **Cameron Mathison:** Um, catch it [00:18:10] early, 'cause not everybody has- Right ... all the great conditions and the earlier you catch it, the better. Uh, but super [00:18:15] grateful. And then, um- That community, my community at home and family, [00:18:20] and then going around and kind of spreading the word a little bit helped me kind of, um, [00:18:25] I don't know. I, I never, I never imagined getting the feedback and the support through [00:18:30] social media, et cetera, that I did, and that was a beautiful thing. [00:18:34] **Cameron Mathison:** Mm-hmm. And just [00:18:35] feeling that massive amount of, like, prayers and support and thoughts and what, [00:18:40] what... Like, just incredibly grateful. Like, I didn't, I didn't know what to expect. [00:18:45] Um, but that was, uh, that was pretty beautiful. [00:18:48] **Dr. Taz:** Well, we're so [00:18:50] glad that you're healthy- Oh, thanks ... and doing well. But I know it shifted your mindset, and I know it [00:18:55] shifted sort of what you want to do with health. [00:18:57] **Dr. Taz:** Mm-hmm. And I think you used a functional health coach in the [00:19:00] process- Yeah ... too, right? [00:19:01] **Dr. Taz:** Yeah. [00:19:01] **Dr. Taz:** Uh, how did that introduction happen? You know, how did... [00:19:05] Because up until this point, for everybody, you know, watching and listening, you've been go-getter healthy [00:19:10] the way we were taught to be healthy- Mm. Yeah ... in the '80s and '90s- Correct [00:19:13] **Dr. Taz:** and, you know, all that stuff. [00:19:14] **Dr. Taz:** Yep. [00:19:14] **Dr. Taz:** And [00:19:15] now there's a diagnosis. Yeah. And so many, you know, people have sat with me and been like, "I did everything [00:19:20] right. Like, why?" Mm-hmm. You know, "Why is this happening?" You know, I think that at [00:19:25] that point you probably made a turn in terms of the things that you were interested in or how you [00:19:30] pursued health. [00:19:30] **Cameron Mathison:** 1,000%. [00:19:31] **Dr. Taz:** You know, tell us a little bit about that switch because it's int- you know, so [00:19:35] fu- it's not fun. That's not the right word. But it's so interesting to watch people's journey in this because at first [00:19:40] they're so skeptical. They're so, like- Mm-hmm ... you know, "Okay, what is all this? What's [00:19:45] inflammation? What's the micro-" You know? [00:19:46] **Dr. Taz:** Mm-hmm. There's a lot of skepticism with it. But I hate [00:19:50] that it takes a diagnosis to make people enter this world. How did you enter the [00:19:54] **Cameron Mathison:** world? Yeah, [00:19:55] it's, it's such a important thing. It's so great that you're out here kinda spreading the word on all this. But I, um, [00:20:00] even after the surgery and the diagnosis, I, I would say several months after that, [00:20:05] um, maybe even a year, more than a year after that- I was [00:20:10] still trying to do it my own way. [00:20:12] **Dr. Taz:** Right. [00:20:12] **Cameron Mathison:** You know, I- obviously with doctors and, and things that [00:20:15] to help me. [00:20:15] **Dr. Taz:** Right. [00:20:16] **Cameron Mathison:** But, but sort of piecing things together and social med-... Like, and, [00:20:20] and I have to tell people, like, that's a really hard way to do it. Yes. Like just [00:20:25] taking little bits- It's free ... of this and that- Yeah ... and, and not knowing like y- you know, like, it was, it was a [00:20:30] very, very difficult and maddening. [00:20:31] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah. I was, like, at a loss again, and this is [00:20:35] after my cancer surgery. Mm. I had a high level of environmental toxins and other toxins. I had [00:20:40] mold exposure. My gut microbiome still was a disaster. Like literally [00:20:45] from... I'll get to this, this, this, this coaching company who's seen thousands of GI maps- Mm-hmm [00:20:49] **Cameron Mathison:** [00:20:50] which is a, a, a, you know, test of your gut. They said mine was in the top three worst they'd ever [00:20:55] seen. Um- Hmm ... it was like really messed up. Wow. My hormones were out of whack. So my blood sugar was [00:21:00] high even though I was on a super low, um, carb diet. So- Yeah ... my b- my [00:21:05] blood sugar being high even though I'm eating very, very low carb is an indication of a metabolic sort of like- Right[00:21:10] [00:21:10] **Cameron Mathison:** um, you know, just being unhealthy metabolically, sorry. Um, there are all these factors, [00:21:15] and I could-- they weren't changing, and I was at a loss, and my neighbor [00:21:20] was working with this functional health coach. [00:21:23] **Dr. Taz:** Mm-hmm. [00:21:23] **Cameron Mathison:** And I'm like, " [00:21:24] **Dr. Taz:** Ugh." Had you [00:21:25] even heard of functional medicine [00:21:25] **Cameron Mathison:** then? No, no. I mean, on functional m- Yeah [00:21:27] **Cameron Mathison:** functional medicine I had. Right. Right. I worked with her. Right. I was working with [00:21:30] functional medicine. There we go. I was working with MDs and NDs. Okay. Okay. Got it. I was doing all of that. [00:21:33] **Dr. Taz:** Yeah. [00:21:33] **Cameron Mathison:** And that was super helpful, but, [00:21:35] um, but functional health coaching, I was like, "I don't need a coach." [00:21:38] **Dr. Taz:** Right. [00:21:39] **Cameron Mathison:** Like, look at... [00:21:39] **Cameron Mathison:** What do you... [00:21:40] Where- Right ... well, you know? I [00:21:40] **Dr. Taz:** hear that all the time, yep. [00:21:41] **Cameron Mathison:** Yep. And honestly It [00:21:45] was the biggest game changer by far. So a functional [00:21:50] health coach is, is literally, I mean, it's probably very in line with [00:21:55] all the things that you do as well, but they look at things from 360 degrees. [00:22:00] They're really only concerned with the root issues. [00:22:03] **Cameron Mathison:** You know, obviously, like you mentioned, [00:22:05] inflammation, microbiome- Mm-hmm ... hormone balancing, blood [00:22:10] work. They even look at gene testing, and they look at all the different things. But it- it's not like they start with all [00:22:15] that, you know? There's, there's... It's the first time in my life that, that... So I, I, I had a [00:22:20] Zoom with this, with this, with my coach. [00:22:22] **Cameron Mathison:** His name's Alan Kress, and he's my [00:22:25] guy. And Vince Pinstick, who he worked with, who I'm now working with as well, we'll talk about that later. But- Yeah ... [00:22:30] but Alan was on a Zoom, and I literally got tears in my eyes, 'cause he was, like, saying the [00:22:35] things and hearing me, and he's like, "I can guarantee you, I can [00:22:40] guarantee you that I got you." [00:22:42] **Dr. Taz:** Mm-hmm. " [00:22:43] **Cameron Mathison:** If you follow my protocol, [00:22:45] I guarantee that your inflammation's gonna fall off your body. [00:22:50] I guarantee that I can balance your microbiome, get your hormones in balance, and your blood [00:22:55] work, your, your blood sugar's gonna go from 120s to 79, low 80s, and you're gonna be [00:23:00] eating 240 grams of carbs a day." [00:23:02] **Dr. Taz:** Wow. [00:23:02] **Cameron Mathison:** And I was like, "That's, that's [00:23:05] impossible." [00:23:05] **Dr. Taz:** Wait, how many grams of carbs were you on? [00:23:08] **Cameron Mathison:** 30. [00:23:08] **Dr. Taz:** Oh my gosh. [00:23:10] Wow. [00:23:10] **Cameron Mathison:** Like, chronically. So, like- Wow ... again, low carb diet can be very nice as a [00:23:15] tool. It's great to, to learn, get your body to be metabolically flexible. Right, right. Using carbs as a fuel. Right. [00:23:20] Using fat as a fuel. [00:23:21] **Cameron Mathison:** That's beautiful. But you [00:23:22] **Dr. Taz:** were [00:23:22] **Cameron Mathison:** stacked in heavy. But I was... Yeah, exa- exactly. Okay. Oh, wow. It's extremes. [00:23:25] Wow. It's about the extremes. Right. It's about, it's about, like, sort of some middle ground and, and, um, and I [00:23:30] just didn't have any of that. [00:23:31] **Dr. Taz:** Right. [00:23:31] **Cameron Mathison:** So the first thing he did was, like... And it was during COVID, [00:23:35] and I had to do a Christmas movie up in Canada. [00:23:36] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah. And I had to, I had to quarantine myself for two weeks. And he's [00:23:40] like, "These two weeks, no coffee." You know, obviously no alcohol's not a big deal for me. I don't [00:23:45] really drink. And, like, really nutrient-dense foods. He's- [00:23:50] he brought my, you know, my fat levels down, started getting me carb adapted. Mm-hmm. Like, really good, um, [00:23:55] s- and again, I was on one or two meals a day. [00:23:57] **Cameron Mathison:** Mm-hmm. Fasting like crazy. Mm-hmm. Which of course is a beautiful [00:24:00] thing, but I was, again, extremes and- [00:24:01] **Dr. Taz:** Right ... [00:24:02] **Cameron Mathison:** like, nonstop. Right. And it wasn't... [00:24:03] **Dr. Taz:** Yeah. [00:24:04] **Cameron Mathison:** So he's like, [00:24:05] "Five small meals a day." Mm-hmm. "So it's easy on your gut, easy to digest." I was like, [00:24:10] big meals, two a day, like... So, and he, um, incorporated carbohydrates, [00:24:15] rest and digest phase. [00:24:16] **Cameron Mathison:** Mm-hmm. No working out. Yeah. Just walking. Right? And I'd never heard of that. I [00:24:20] was like, "What? Rest and digest?" I need to work out. "I don't need to rest. I gotta, like, I gotta go, go, go, go." I'm on camera. I need to work out. He's like, "You [00:24:25] gotta shut it down. Your cortisol..." 'Cause, you know, he, he didn't- Yeah ... we didn't test, but he's like, "I know your [00:24:30] cortisol levels- Right, right [00:24:30] **Cameron Mathison:** are through the roof." Yeah. Um, and so two weeks of that, which was really hard. [00:24:35] First of all, I was a massive coffee addict, so anybody that's... You know, when I, y- like [00:24:40] Obviously, that was my one vice. I knew it wasn't great for me. But anyway, [00:24:45] so off coffee. [00:24:46] **Dr. Taz:** Well, coffee, coffee just, you know, just to not, not park here, but coffee does [00:24:50] mess up the microbiome. [00:24:51] **Cameron Mathison:** Especially when you're drinking it on an empty stomach. I hope my husband is watching. Empty stomach. Yeah. [00:24:55] Right out of bed in the morning. Yep. Like, if you're going to- Horrible ... incorporate coffee- Yeah ... the, you know, [00:25:00] the three main things- Yeah ... are try to go, like, hour and a half before you have it, try to have something in your stomach before- Right [00:25:04] **Cameron Mathison:** you drink it, [00:25:05] and make sure it's, like, really good quality, um, tested, organic and all that. Those... If you do that, it's not [00:25:10] gonna, like- Right, [00:25:10] **Dr. Taz:** it's not that [00:25:10] **Cameron Mathison:** bad, right. But if you come out of bed and you're exhausted and the first thing you do is, like, pound coffee and then- [00:25:15] Right ... use it to wake you up and it, it's just an artificial kinda stimulant of your cortisol and it's- Right [00:25:19] **Cameron Mathison:** [00:25:20] it's... That, that every once in a while is fine, but if you're doing that day after day after day after [00:25:25] day, you get into a, like, a bad state. Right. So anyway, I did this rest and digest phase. [00:25:30] Um, started incorporating carbohydrates. My, my blood sugar wasn't coming down. My... You know, it was... It [00:25:35] took... Obviously, my body needed some time to really heal. [00:25:38] **Cameron Mathison:** It was like healing your bo- [00:25:40] feeding your body. Mm-hmm. Like, and then feeding me up with all these unbelievably nutrient-dense foods. [00:25:45] Obviously, we've heard eating the rainbow, you know, maybe at the, at the time, it was very Mediterranean [00:25:50] style diet- Right ... like white fish and clean proteins, mostly, you know, veggies, some low [00:25:55] sugar fruits, and really just kinda breaking it up. [00:25:57] **Cameron Mathison:** And then, um, a, it was... didn't take long. [00:26:00] I would say, uh, after the two-week flush and then started incorporating light workouts, [00:26:05] never to failure initially, like really letting your body heal and working your way up. [00:26:10] Then all of a sudden my body started to respond, inflammation started falling off. I started, [00:26:15] um... [00:26:15] **Cameron Mathison:** My, my gut distention started coming like nice and flat Wow I started feeling [00:26:20] like, I literally felt like nutrients were absorbing. I was using a lot of supplements too. I was using something to help my [00:26:25] cortisol at night. Mm-hmm. I did a whole cortisol reset. [00:26:27] **Dr. Taz:** Mm-hmm. [00:26:28] **Cameron Mathison:** Um, you know, not everybody [00:26:30] needs all this. [00:26:30] **Cameron Mathison:** I'm just saying what, what helped me get into the phase, uh, to this next sort of stage in my [00:26:35] life. [00:26:35] **Dr. Taz:** Um- So this is all working with the coach, right? [00:26:37] **Cameron Mathison:** All working with the coach. This is not- Very laid out. Yeah, this is okay. So, so [00:26:40] functional health coaching. Right Looking at lifestyle, like really deep thorough lifestyle [00:26:45] changes. [00:26:45] **Cameron Mathison:** Um, looking at, um, things like hormone balance- Mm-hmm ... and gut health and, and, and [00:26:50] supplementation. Uh, following your training routine, following your rest, you know, [00:26:55] prioritizing things like sleep and drinking wa- Like really doing it. Right. We hear these things- [00:26:59] **Dr. Taz:** Right ... [00:26:59] **Cameron Mathison:** on [00:27:00] little Instagram, like f- Right ... top five, but like making you a real schedule and [00:27:05] incorporating it and then eventually after some testing, um, to check y- like [00:27:10] a, a very elaborate hormone test called the Dutch Test. [00:27:13] **Dr. Taz:** Yep. Mm-hmm. [00:27:13] **Cameron Mathison:** Which I know you know about. Hmm. Most [00:27:15] people don't. They just do blood work. Mm-hmm. And blood work is great, but it's just a moment in time. Doesn't show you how your m- [00:27:20] your hormones are metabolizing- How they ... Yep ... through your system and detoxing out. So th- I would highly recommend the Dutch Test. [00:27:24] **Cameron Mathison:** [00:27:25] You gotta get like some PhD guy to read it 'cause those things are like impossible to read. All the pathways. [00:27:30] Yeah. Th- like it's all nuts. But anyway if you guys- Back to med school stuff, right ... I w- I would highly recommend a GI [00:27:35] map for people that, most people that don't even realize it. Their, you know, to, [00:27:40] to check their inflammation levels in their gut, their microbiome, their, their, uh, their also tests [00:27:45] for parasites things like that. [00:27:47] **Cameron Mathison:** Um, so I did those testing, and then from that [00:27:50] work we did a really unique, um, microbiome balancing- Mm-hmm ... [00:27:55] protocol. Mm-hmm. Which is the only thing that has ever helped my gut- [00:27:59] **Dr. Taz:** [00:28:00] Wow ... [00:28:00] **Cameron Mathison:** out of anything I've ever tried. I'm talking antibiotics, I'm talk- Yeah ... nothing has been [00:28:05] able to, um, ba- like k- it's kill off the bad bacteria and [00:28:10] feed the good bacteria effectively. [00:28:12] **Cameron Mathison:** Right. Um, I don't know how much this is boring. I, actually- And you can [00:28:15] cut this all out. Do you wanna hear the protocol? I, I, I wanna know because- No, this is the, this is [00:28:20] the only thing- ... I really wanna know ... that ha-... If you looked at my GI map now-- Right. Right ... this is the gut test. You look at my GI map now- Right [00:28:24] **Cameron Mathison:** and my [00:28:25] GI map before- [00:28:25] **Dr. Taz:** Right ... [00:28:26] **Cameron Mathison:** you'd think it was a different person. [00:28:27] **Dr. Taz:** Wow. [00:28:28] **Cameron Mathison:** I have never, and I'm talking about [00:28:30] 12 years of trying things for my gut. [00:28:33] **Dr. Taz:** Right. ' [00:28:33] **Cameron Mathison:** Cause remember, those, those protein [00:28:35] pump inhibitors- Yep ... destroyed my gut, destroyed the acid production, uh, you know, bacterial overgrowth, [00:28:40] leaky gut, strong H. [00:28:42] **Cameron Mathison:** pylori, uh- All of that, yeah ... parasites. Because, you know, it's, [00:28:45] like, your immune system is screw-, you know, and that affects your energy, that affects your, your [00:28:50] cognition. Right. That affects so many things. [00:28:50] **Dr. Taz:** That is ground zero of health. We've talked about that over and over again. Chinese medicine talks about that. [00:28:54] **Dr. Taz:** Absolutely. That's [00:28:55] where you begin, you know, when it comes... And even that low white count, and this is, again, why we [00:29:00] need everything to marry each other. Like, that low white count- [00:29:02] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah ... [00:29:03] **Dr. Taz:** for anybody, you know, watching or listening, [00:29:05] that's a sign of inflammation. You know? If you've got a low white count- Yeah [00:29:08] **Dr. Taz:** it's time to start, like, pursuing [00:29:10] it. 95% of the time it's coming from the gut, at least in my experience. I know everyone has different [00:29:15] experiences. [00:29:15] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah. [00:29:15] **Dr. Taz:** So yes, I wanted- [00:29:16] **Cameron Mathison:** It's so, so helpful. I think you did a post to that recently. Didn't you? Yeah. Yes. [00:29:18] **Dr. Taz:** Yeah. [00:29:19] **Cameron Mathison:** So, so helpful you're [00:29:20] putting that out there. Yeah. [00:29:20] **Cameron Mathison:** Like, literally I just stopped, and it's almost like, it's so corny, but, like, I get [00:29:25] goosebumps when I hear it because people are lost out there. They're [00:29:29] **Dr. Taz:** so lost. [00:29:29] **Cameron Mathison:** I know. Like, they ... [00:29:30] I know there's so much information, and I know we're all over the place, but there's really [00:29:35] simple protocols, lifestyle changes, maybe some supplements, some simple things that we can [00:29:40] do To help your, your inflammation fall off your bo- Absolutely. [00:29:43] **Cameron Mathison:** Like I didn't really do that [00:29:45] much other than- Well, I [00:29:46] **Dr. Taz:** wanna hear about your protocol and then- Okay, [00:29:47] **Cameron Mathison:** okay, okay. So this is the gut protocol ... [00:29:49] **Dr. Taz:** because I think it's [00:29:50] important 'cause the other thing that's happening out there right now is because there's so [00:29:55] much information- [00:29:55] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah ... [00:29:56] **Dr. Taz:** and because all these different terms are being used, holistic, integrative [00:30:00] functional, conventional, you know, all this other stuff- [00:30:02] **Cameron Mathison:** Mm-hmm [00:30:02] **Dr. Taz:** everyone's really lost. Yeah. They're [00:30:05] lost when it comes to where to begin a health journey, and sometimes they're overdoing it. [00:30:09] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah. [00:30:09] **Dr. Taz:** Right? Like they [00:30:10] have these- Or may often ... protocols that I, that come in and I'm like, "I don't know how you're keeping up with this." Like, I [00:30:15] couldn't keep up with this, you know? [00:30:16] **Cameron Mathison:** Well, exactly. So- And they're probably on 900 calories a day, and they're working out six days a [00:30:20] week. Right. And they're ... A- and, you know, even my friends that I, I work with on TV- Right ... because TV, you know, you're [00:30:25] on ... They, they just, oh, I'm gaining weight. I gotta cut more calories. Right. And then four months later, oh, I'm gaining weight on [00:30:30] that calorie. [00:30:30] **Cameron Mathison:** Yep. I gotta cut more calo- Cut more, right ... Your metabolism adjusts. [00:30:33] **Dr. Taz:** Yes. [00:30:33] **Cameron Mathison:** You gotta keep kinda [00:30:35] changing it, and that's one of the things that these functional health coach that we're wor-... They really [00:30:40] understand the metabolism. Right. They really understand. They work with extreme cases usually. Mm-hmm. Like [00:30:45] body builders, uh, power athletes, high functioning people. [00:30:48] **Cameron Mathison:** Right. People that are on the [00:30:50] go fight or flight nonstop. Right. So they really understand that you gotta feed [00:30:55] and heal your body. Then once you get to that place, you can start working on maybe cutting [00:31:00] down and, and like, like losing some fat or building muscle or whatever it is. But first [00:31:05] You know, for most cases it's some lifestyle changes, it's some rest, [00:31:10] it's f- prioritizing sleep. [00:31:12] **Cameron Mathison:** It's like don't go, go, go. And then also the gut protocol. Right, the gut protocol. So [00:31:15] here we go. [00:31:15] **Dr. Taz:** Here we go. You're right. I'm like on the edge of my seat here. This is, this is the most life-changing- Give me the gut protocol ... thing. [00:31:19] **Cameron Mathison:** Like, you, [00:31:20] you... I can't even tell you. So the idea is you've got these opp- we call them opportunistic [00:31:25] bacteria or bad bacteria in your gut. Everybody's got them, some people worse than others, and oftentimes they [00:31:30] get even more, um, sort of out of control than your, your beneficial bacteria that you really want and need in [00:31:35] your gut. [00:31:35] **Cameron Mathison:** And so people say, "I'll just take probiotics"- [00:31:37] **Dr. Taz:** Right ... [00:31:38] **Cameron Mathison:** um, when that. Right. And oftentimes I [00:31:40] would say, like, I don't want to throw a number 'cause I don't really know, but I'm gonna say, like, 85% of the time [00:31:45] that's not gonna work. [00:31:45] **Dr. Taz:** Right. [00:31:45] **Cameron Mathison:** Like, your bad bacteria is very strong, very tough to get rid [00:31:50] of. They're so much smarter than you think they are. [00:31:52] **Cameron Mathison:** They have something called a biofilm- Mm-hmm ... [00:31:55] around them, which is a protective layer. It's like their armor. So even if you're taking, like, [00:32:00] a, um, a prescription medication to try and kill them off or antimicrobials, they're, like, [00:32:05] laughing at you. Um, they can... You know, it's, it's in... And, and I tried that for a long time, so I know. [00:32:09] **Cameron Mathison:** [00:32:10] Like, I follow protocols. You walked [00:32:11] **Dr. Taz:** the walk, right. [00:32:12] **Cameron Mathison:** So the protocol is, uh, a three low carb [00:32:15] day, three high carb day. The low carb day... And this is why people on keto [00:32:20] or carnivore feel good in their gut for a little while. They're like, "Oh, I fixed it. I fixed my gut." [00:32:24] **Dr. Taz:** And then they [00:32:24] **Cameron Mathison:** [00:32:25] slide. Yeah. You're, you're just, like, s- you're just sort of starving them. [00:32:27] **Cameron Mathison:** They're just going into hibernation, the bad bacteria. [00:32:30] Bad bacteria likes carbs. So if you're low carb and you're like, "Oh, I feel so much better. My gut's flatter," [00:32:35] that's amazing, but you haven't got rid of anything. You're not doing any kind of a kill off. As soon as you [00:32:40] eat some carbs again, you're gonna blow up, and you probably know that from home. [00:32:43] **Cameron Mathison:** So anyway, three low carb [00:32:45] day and you take maybe some, you know, s- some good simple probiotics during those low carb days, [00:32:50] but you're starving the, the bad bacteria. They're getting hungry And then on your three [00:32:55] high-carb days- [00:32:55] **Dr. Taz:** Mm-hmm ... [00:32:56] **Cameron Mathison:** um, be- 30 minutes before you eat, you take a biofilm [00:33:00] resolve. There's one c- from New Ethics Formulations which is really effective. [00:33:03] **Cameron Mathison:** So that biofilm [00:33:05] resolve o- on an empty stomach before you eat helps break down the biofilm of the bad bacteria, [00:33:10] the pro- th- the armor. Then when you're ea-... And then 30 minutes later you have your carb meal. Mm. [00:33:15] And in your carb meal, at the beginning of your carb meal, you have these antimicrobials snuck in [00:33:20] the carbs, things like colloidal silver if you get to it. [00:33:22] **Cameron Mathison:** Mm-hmm. New ethics also has something called Gut Defender. [00:33:25] ADP is a great s-, uh, um, version of oregano oil that will help [00:33:30] you. There's some garlic ones. There's things called FC Sida- And you don't wanna take them all at once. [00:33:35] So with a functional health coach, you'll pulse them. Like, you'll do a month with this protocol, and [00:33:40] then you'll change it- Sure [00:33:40] **Cameron Mathison:** 'cause the bad- Yeah ... bacteria gets used to those. Yep. You gotta keep surprising them and coming at them from [00:33:45] different sides. They're so smart and so tough to get rid of. So three low-carb [00:33:50] day, you starve them. You kinda take a little bit of the, the probiotics to help kind of ... You're not really gonna [00:33:55] do a lot of healing of your gut then, 'cause you're about to come in with some killers, but it's still, [00:34:00] it's, you know, it's a little helpful. [00:34:01] **Cameron Mathison:** And then on those l- or high-carb days, the biofilm resolve before you eat [00:34:05] And then you sneak in the killers with your carbs, and then the, the, you know, your bad [00:34:10] bacteria is hungry, so they come out for those carbs, and the antimicrobial's in there, and they're, they're also have no [00:34:15] protection 'cause you've taken down the biofilm. [00:34:16] **Cameron Mathison:** And you gotta do this for a few months. It's like a tough protocol. How long did [00:34:19] **Dr. Taz:** you have to do [00:34:20] it? [00:34:20] **Cameron Mathison:** Well, the first time... I've done it... Because my gut's so bad- Right ... I'll probably have to do this every couple years, [00:34:25] maybe forever. [00:34:26] **Dr. Taz:** Wow, [00:34:26] **Cameron Mathison:** okay. You know, it's just a thing. [00:34:27] **Dr. Taz:** Mm-hmm. [00:34:28] **Cameron Mathison:** Maybe not. Um, [00:34:30] but the first time I did it, I did it for, like, six months. [00:34:33] **Dr. Taz:** Wow. [00:34:33] **Cameron Mathison:** And, [00:34:35] um, it was, it was tough. Now, for maintenance, uh, I [00:34:40] just did it for about, um, two and a half months, and I've just finished that cycle, that [00:34:45] pulse, that carb pulse- [00:34:46] **Dr. Taz:** Amazing ... [00:34:46] **Cameron Mathison:** um, process. And, uh, you know, [00:34:50] it's... I'll do another GI map just to see how I did, just to kinda keep it back down. You know, the bad [00:34:55] bacteria's, they're really tough and they'll keep coming, um, especially with stress. [00:34:59] **Cameron Mathison:** Mm-hmm. And especially [00:35:00] with eating processed foods, even though I really, really try not to. Um, that go, go, go [00:35:05] mentality. Uh, also because of the PPIs and I don't produce a lot of stomach acid, so you know, I [00:35:10] t- I actually take acid with my meals. I take HCL with pepsin with my meals. To digest better. To [00:35:15] help digest. [00:35:15] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah. Help get that nutrient absorption. But that, that protocol [00:35:20] is the only thing that's ever made any- Any difference? ... kind of a difference- Amazing ... whatsoever [00:35:25] with my gut microbiome. Everything else that I've tried has literally been almost nonexistent, [00:35:30] even though I've tried for years. Like- [00:35:31] **Dr. Taz:** That's incredible [00:35:32] **Cameron Mathison:** it's, it's a really effective way, um... You [00:35:35] know, maybe we'll be able to put, like, a, a, a link to my Instagram if you have an [00:35:40] issue. Yeah, definitely. I don't want it to get anything from this. Yeah. But, like, I can help guide people- Totally ... to people that [00:35:45] can help them with this. Right. Or I- I'll eventually, once I kinda get this, my own [00:35:50] little, um, thing going called Health360, I'll have links, I'll have information, and I'll [00:35:55] have posts and, and, and I know you do as well. [00:35:57] **Cameron Mathison:** But, um, it's been [00:36:00] It's been a game changer. It really [00:36:01] **Dr. Taz:** has. So to stay on this- Sure ... and we're gonna geek out just for a second more- Sure ... and then I promise [00:36:05] we'll talk about some other stuff. But, you know, as you've done this protocol and fixed your [00:36:10] gut- [00:36:10] **Cameron Mathison:** Mm-hmm ... [00:36:10] **Dr. Taz:** what happened to the rest of your body? What happened to inflammation, and [00:36:15] hormones, and cognitive health, and all... [00:36:16] **Dr. Taz:** Like, what else did you see? That's [00:36:17] **Cameron Mathison:** a great question. You know? That's a great question. And I will say [00:36:20] after, after that pulse program- Yeah ... you go through a real gut healing program- Right ... right? Like, gut tissue repair. You [00:36:25] start feeding with more probi- 'cause then you really can benefit from getting some good bacteria in there [00:36:30] and healing your gut lining and stuff, 'cause it's a, it's a tough... [00:36:32] **Cameron Mathison:** I just wanna make sure that you say that. Yeah, yeah. Okay. You know, 'cause that is- [00:36:35] Right ... that's when you add in all the things that you hear on, you know, then your body can take it- Leaky gut and all this other stuff ... and you can [00:36:40] trust. Right, okay. So the things that I notice for sure, um, most importantly is how [00:36:45] much flatter my stomach is. [00:36:45] **Cameron Mathison:** Mm. Like- Which everyone [00:36:47] **Dr. Taz:** complains [00:36:47] **Cameron Mathison:** about ... but everybo- I mean, everybody complains about Everybody. And, and there's, there's the [00:36:50] sort of like, you know, there's fat on your stomach, then there's sort of bloating, and then there's [00:36:55] distension. [00:36:55] **Dr. Taz:** Mm-hmm. [00:36:55] **Cameron Mathison:** So all three of those I noticed went down, so, you know, uh, a [00:37:00] tighter, leaner abdomen, um, which probably has to do with more... [00:37:04] **Cameron Mathison:** L- anyway, but other [00:37:05] things, but then less distension, less bloating. I noticed, um, absolutely [00:37:10] inflammation. Energy. [00:37:11] **Dr. Taz:** Mm. [00:37:12] **Cameron Mathison:** Like, sometimes I have trouble falling asleep at night, [00:37:15] like I'm just awake. [00:37:16] **Dr. Taz:** Wired. Yeah. [00:37:16] **Cameron Mathison:** I used to, I used to pass out on the way home from Home and Family. [00:37:19] **Dr. Taz:** [00:37:20] Uh-huh. [00:37:20] **Cameron Mathison:** I used to have to pull over 'cause I was gonna fall asleep on my way home. [00:37:23] **Cameron Mathison:** I had no [00:37:25] energy. I'd come home and, and Vanessa would say, like, "You ha- you give yourself all the work [00:37:30] and y- you have no energy for me." I hear that all the [00:37:31] **Dr. Taz:** time. [00:37:31] **Cameron Mathison:** And, and it- All the [00:37:32] **Dr. Taz:** time ... [00:37:32] **Cameron Mathison:** and it's, and it's true. Yeah. And she's right. [00:37:34] **Dr. Taz:** Yeah. [00:37:34] **Cameron Mathison:** [00:37:35] I mean, I didn't know. I didn't know why. Yeah. Um, and now it's just like I'm a, a, I feel like I'm a- [00:37:39] **Dr. Taz:** [00:37:40] Different person [00:37:40] **Cameron Mathison:** a different person. I love it. I'm like a 25-year-old guy. I love it, yeah. Like, you know, and, and so [00:37:45] yes, and then the other thing that I really keep a close eye on, and I know you do, too, is, is my blood sugar levels. Mm-hmm. [00:37:50] Um, w- we all should, but, uh, I now my, [00:37:55] my blood sugar is regularly in the l- you know, low, mid-80s. [00:37:58] **Cameron Mathison:** Um- Mm-hmm ... so oddly enough, [00:38:00] healing your gut, reducing inflammation, lowering your stress, you know, taking a [00:38:05] break from coffee for a little while, all these things, um, for me [00:38:10] definitely were things that helped my blood sugar, um, uh, be at a good [00:38:15] place. And I'm talking about now I'm eating... Right now I'm at a, I'm at a protocol where I'm eating about 280 [00:38:20] grams of carbs a day. [00:38:21] **Dr. Taz:** Wow. Much better. [00:38:22] **Cameron Mathison:** And [00:38:25] I'm waking up in the- That's much better than the 30. I'm, I'm waking up- Yeah ... I'm waking up in the morning and, and my blood sugar's, you know, [00:38:30] 79, 85, sometimes 90, 92. Out of whack. But, uh, like much- [00:38:32] **Dr. Taz:** Yeah ... [00:38:33] **Cameron Mathison:** and meanwhile I'm having tons of carbs. [00:38:35] So, you know, carbs can affect it for sure. Like, when I do my three low carb days my blood sugar comes down. [00:38:39] **Dr. Taz:** [00:38:40] Right. [00:38:40] **Cameron Mathison:** And that's what you wanna see. You wanna be able to be like, higher carb days maybe your, your, your blood su- you know- [00:38:45] Maybe, maybe not. But on the low carb, you want your body to be [00:38:50] responding to your diet. You don't wanna be like, "Oh, I've, I've starved myself of carbs for five days and my blood sugar's at [00:38:55] 125." [00:38:55] **Dr. Taz:** Right. [00:38:56] **Cameron Mathison:** Something else is going on there. So yeah. [00:38:58] **Dr. Taz:** So much of our [00:39:00] mentality is, like, all or nothing, and that whole idea, you've... There's so much in what you said. [00:39:05] There's the idea of metabolic switching. There's the idea of diet- Mm-hmm, mm-hmm ... switching and cycling. There's the idea of carb [00:39:10] cycling. Mm-hmm. You know, but bottom line, I think, you know, there's so many stories here, but I think bottom [00:39:15] line is that we have to be a little flexible. [00:39:18] **Dr. Taz:** It's not all or [00:39:20] nothing. You know, we have to have a little bit of rotation, variety in our [00:39:25] lives, in our diet, in our exercise, in all of it. And I think, you know, everybody just [00:39:30] wants that one formula and wants to be married to that one formula and thinks that that's gonna work for [00:39:35] everything. I love that. [00:39:35] **Dr. Taz:** And it's simply- [00:39:35] **Cameron Mathison:** I love that ... simply not [00:39:36] **Dr. Taz:** true. [00:39:37] **Cameron Mathison:** And there's so many benefits from some of the things. Like, you might be watching and be [00:39:40] like, "I'm a keto person." Right. "It's changed my life." And I totally get that. I still say you gotta... Like, [00:39:45] th- forget about me. The experts still say, you know, cycle in some [00:39:50] carb days. [00:39:50] **Cameron Mathison:** Right. Some re-feed days. Change it up, like you say, to help that metabolic flexibility. You know, burning [00:39:55] carbs is fuel. Burning fat is fuel. Like, it's all so important. And yeah, there, [00:40:00] there's... But, but you're right. It's the extremes and sticking to one thing and, um, it- [00:40:04] **Dr. Taz:** Very much. And [00:40:05] one, here's an area for me that kind of, I think this is what lights me up and keeps [00:40:10] me going, honestly. [00:40:11] **Dr. Taz:** We do all this work. You've done all this work, you know, on the [00:40:15] physical body, right? And on trying to get all these different things balanced. Mm-hmm. You've already [00:40:20] talked about energy and how you've seen an increase in energy. I hear that, by the way, all the ti- I experienced [00:40:25] it personally, even in my own marriage. [00:40:26] **Dr. Taz:** Like, you know, where one partner is simply not healthy, [00:40:30] right? So they're not able to run or function at the same level as the other. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. And [00:40:35] that can create, you know, some sort of- It definitely did, yeah ... dynamic. Yeah. I hear from... I had a, a, a [00:40:40] dad on the phone, or I had a, a visit with him recently, and he was just like, "I'm wiped." [00:40:44] **Dr. Taz:** He goes, "Like, at [00:40:45] home I'm wiped, and my wife has, like, cooked this incredible meal and needs help." And he goes, "I [00:40:50] can't. I'm wiped," you know? Mm-hmm. So for me, like, one of the biggest [00:40:55] motivators for me is being healthy is not just about getting all the data [00:41:00] right and being free of a diagnoses. It's also how you're gonna show up. [00:41:04] **Dr. Taz:** Mm-hmm. How [00:41:05] you're gonna show up as a dad or a partner or a colleague or, or, you know, whatever it [00:41:10] is that you're supposed to do in your life. I love this. You know, you talked about energy. What [00:41:15] else did you see as you've moved through this journey, this incredible journey, you know, [00:41:20] which I think is such a story in itself. [00:41:21] **Dr. Taz:** But what else did you see when it came [00:41:25] to your life and what you wanted and how, what you wanted it to look like? [00:41:29] **Cameron Mathison:** [00:41:30] Yeah. That's, you know, it takes you to kinda bring that. It's so important. [00:41:35] It's so important, and I'm glad that you, you kinda, like, brought that in. So, um- [00:41:40] Absolutely the most important thing obviously is, is you know being [00:41:45] there for people and being present an- and having that connection. [00:41:48] **Cameron Mathison:** And I think you are a big believer in [00:41:50] this too and I'm wa- I'm talking a lot about like the body and the... The mind ...you know, like th- the [00:41:55] systems and all that. But- Right ...um, so much of my practice it's embarrassed that I haven't [00:42:00] mentioned this yet is, is work on, um just my mind. Yeah. On, [00:42:05] on my attitude, on my love, on my compassion, on my generosity, on my [00:42:10] selflessness, on my, you know, on my peace of mind, on my clarity. [00:42:13] **Cameron Mathison:** Um, I work [00:42:15] and have been through all this for, for almost 20 years r-... I'm a big meditator and n-- [00:42:20] a lotta peoples hear meditation they be like, "I can't meditate." Right. Yeah ..."I'm too busy," whatever. And, and [00:42:25] um, it's not some sort of fluffy thing where you escape from reality. You can, you can be [00:42:30] involved in meditations that h- like literally like going to the gym help you grow your inner [00:42:35] qualities, help you grow your ability to care about others, help [00:42:40] you grow your ability to like consider others to be important and their desires and their interest to [00:42:45] peo-... [00:42:45] **Cameron Mathison:** You could meditate on these, and those are like minds of love and, and compassion and your [00:42:50] mindfulness and, and then of course when you do that you can bring it into your life and, and your work and [00:42:55] things can get better too. Oftentimes meditation is [00:43:00] thought to like just to make my life better at w-... but it's so important to [00:43:05] use different practices to help grow your inner qualities as well [00:43:10] as like your outer- All the other stuff ...outer qualities. [00:43:11] **Cameron Mathison:** Right. And so for me that combination [00:43:15] and having energy for both and, and making a pri-, you know making both a [00:43:20] priority, uh, has been a huge, huge, huge factor. And, um, yeah that's a big part [00:43:25] of my life. [00:43:25] **Dr. Taz:** But you can't, but you can't even, you know my observation is you can't even meditate [00:43:30] fully and be present even for yourself if you're struggling [00:43:35] with pain or inflammation- Mm ....or any of these different things right? [00:43:38] **Dr. Taz:** It becomes much- They work hand in hand for [00:43:40] sure. They work so hand in hand. Yeah. So f-. [00:43:41] **Cameron Mathison:** But I will say this. [00:43:42] **Dr. Taz:** Yeah. [00:43:43] **Cameron Mathison:** Meditation [00:43:45] can definitely help your physical pain. [00:43:47] **Dr. Taz:** Absolutely. [00:43:47] **Cameron Mathison:** Like, so you're right. They, we- It's hard to meditate when you're in pain ... they tend, they work [00:43:50] [00:43:50] **Dr. Taz:** together. [00:43:50] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah, but, but you, what we don't realize, and I'm, you know, I'm not an authority on [00:43:55] this by any means, but there's, you know, centuries of people have been talking about it, that, [00:44:00] um, how much of our back pain- [00:44:02] **Dr. Taz:** Mm-hmm [00:44:02] **Cameron Mathison:** of our, you know, whatever [00:44:05] pain, has coming from stress, is coming from, and then through meditation and through understanding and being able to [00:44:10] sit with it, like, it, you can s- you can feel it fall away. [00:44:13] **Dr. Taz:** Right. [00:44:13] **Cameron Mathison:** Like, you can feel- Yeah ... it [00:44:15] disappear, which is proof that there's a, it's just the mind-body connection. [00:44:19] **Cameron Mathison:** It's very, very, [00:44:20] very important. Um, so it's, it's, you know, yes, you can grow your, your inner [00:44:25] qualities. Maybe you want to become less angry. Maybe you're, you suffer from addiction, and you can, you can work on these [00:44:30] things through the mind, through meditation. But also, it's going to help your body. [00:44:35] It's gonna help how you feel, for sure. [00:44:37] **Dr. Taz:** I am such a believer in that, and I think that's... You know, I talk [00:44:40] a lot about science and spirit, and you're such an embodiment of that. Aw. I feel like you [00:44:45] know the science. Thank you. You've pursued it, you know, and you pursue the [00:44:50] spirit part of it, too, and that's really what I think makes people whole. It, we need both to really be [00:44:55] present in our lives. [00:44:56] **Dr. Taz:** For sure. So, you know, we've heard this incredible health journey that you've [00:45:00] been through, how kind of the functional health coaching made such a difference for you. [00:45:03] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah. [00:45:05] [00:45:05] **Dr. Taz:** You know, when you look back and you look forward, what was the biggest thing missing when you look [00:45:10] backwards? And then tell us about what looking forward means. [00:45:13] **Cameron Mathison:** Hmm. The [00:45:15] biggest thing that I was sort of missing when I was trying and sort of [00:45:20] spinning my wheels- Yeah ... and swimming upstream, what was the biggest thing I was missing? [00:45:25] Well, I guess I'll have to say, this might be the obvious answer, I don't know if this is what you [00:45:30] mean, but the right guidance- [00:45:33] **Dr. Taz:** Mm ... [00:45:33] **Cameron Mathison:** would be a biggie. [00:45:34] **Cameron Mathison:** I was sort [00:45:35] of trying to do it from, you know, this or that, or this, you know, the, you know, this [00:45:40] Instagram or that or like, you know- Right ... putting pieces together and going to extremes. I, [00:45:45] I, I think may- so the right guide, th- sort of an obvious answer, but I think maybe also, I'm [00:45:50] gonna, I'm, I'm gonna sort of... [00:45:50] **Cameron Mathison:** This is what I learned through my- You want another- ... the right guidance ... yeah, but- ... is the right [00:45:55] balance- Ah, like that word ... between rest- [00:45:57] **Dr. Taz:** Balance ... [00:45:57] **Cameron Mathison:** sort of your parasympathetic and your sympathetic- [00:46:00] Yep ... nervous system. Like, it is so important [00:46:05] to be able to get the right ki- I don't mean like zoning out in front of a television. [00:46:07] **Cameron Mathison:** I mean like going out for a walk in nature. I [00:46:10] mean getting some sunlight in the morning, taking a hot bath at night, going for long walks. [00:46:15] Like the, like really or s- like sleeping in, getting like- Mm-hmm ... I, I have [00:46:20] this crazy thing on my wrist, and people are like, "Oh, Apple Watch." I'm like, "No, it's a Whoop." It's a Whoop. [00:46:23] **Cameron Mathison:** It measures my- Love it. Yep ... you know, my [00:46:25] sleep and my- Got my Oura You got your Oura, same idea. I've got it So you, you don't wanna be crazy. You don't wanna- Gadget, gadget Ouras and Ouras Yeah, it [00:46:30] can make you a little [00:46:31] **Dr. Taz:** nuts. [00:46:31] **Cameron Mathison:** But I know when I'm getting five and a half, six and a half, five and a half- Right [00:46:34] **Cameron Mathison:** [00:46:35] seven, six, fi- Right ... hours of sleep, I'm like, I need to just like really prioritize sle- it's very, very helpful. [00:46:40] So I would say one of the biggest pieces that I was missing is understanding how that [00:46:45] go, go, go, fight or flight, high- Mm ... like living off of cortisol kind of mentality [00:46:50] was killing me. Like, it was just killing me. [00:46:53] **Cameron Mathison:** And I think, um, now that I [00:46:55] have more balance, I, I, I was just seeing a post. I'm a, I, like, I'm a big fan of bodybuilding and I [00:47:00] love, I love... I know, it's just my thing. And I was like, you know, they're go, go, go, go. [00:47:05] Mm-hmm. And they do a lot of unhealthy things to get- Right ... to the way they look they do. Right. [00:47:07] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah. So I'm not a pr- I'm not a proponent of that. But what I'm [00:47:10] saying is, like, just even one... I heard this one post from this guy. He was like, "I was trying to keep up with Arnold Schwarzenegger back [00:47:15] in the day, working out six days a week, twice a day," whatever, "and I was getting, like, fatter and smaller, and I [00:47:20] couldn't figure it out. [00:47:21] **Cameron Mathison:** And then I took three weeks off and went back to the gym, and I was lean and stronger than I've [00:47:25] ever been." [00:47:25] **Dr. Taz:** Mm-hmm. [00:47:25] **Cameron Mathison:** Like, even y- like, even at that level, it's just like [00:47:30] you've gotta have a balance- Yeah ... between those two systems. It's so, so, so important. [00:47:35] Um, yeah, I, I was missing that. I [00:47:36] **Dr. Taz:** love that. I was missing that. [00:47:37] **Dr. Taz:** I lo- I love that, that balance. That's what's [00:47:40] missing. I mean, you have to understand. And, and to have balance, you have to be very [00:47:45] in touch with yourself. You know, you have to understand, okay, it's been, like, you know, I flew in last night [00:47:50] super late. I didn't do a heavy workout this morning. It doesn't make sense, right? [00:47:53] **Dr. Taz:** Right. So I went for a quick walk. So it's, again, [00:47:55] understanding how to, how to flex with what's going on. Perfect. And the gadgets kind of give you some guidance. [00:48:00] Moving forward, though. [00:48:01] **Cameron Mathison:** Yep. Moving forward, [00:48:02] **Dr. Taz:** right. Tell us, like, what you [00:48:05] are hoping for when it comes to health and healthcare. And then you've got an exciting project that you're [00:48:10] working on. [00:48:10] **Dr. Taz:** Yeah. So where does that fit in to where you see the future of medicine? 'Cause that's something that's very [00:48:15] important to me, is like, where is all this going? We live in one of the most unhealthy countries in [00:48:20] the world- Mm ... even though we spend so much money. It's [00:48:22] **Cameron Mathison:** crazy. [00:48:22] **Dr. Taz:** We have a huge population, men, [00:48:25] women, and children, who, A, don't have access, but don't even understand, [00:48:30] you know, how to begin when it st- when they are starting a health journey. [00:48:32] **Dr. Taz:** And then when they start it- [00:48:34] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah ... [00:48:34] **Dr. Taz:** they're [00:48:35] often dismissed. [00:48:35] **Cameron Mathison:** Right, right, [00:48:36] **Dr. Taz:** right. So- Right ... you know, talk to us about the work you're doing and how that fits into the [00:48:40] landscape of where we hope health and wellness and medicine will go. [00:48:43] **Cameron Mathison:** Okay. Well, yeah, that's... [00:48:45] Thank you for asking. And yeah, this is... So this whole, everything that we're talking about, you know- Yeah [00:48:49] **Cameron Mathison:** your whole world is... [00:48:50] Like, I, um- I live it, I've been through it. I've had a journey and [00:48:55] I, I have been, you know, approached by my friends at, uh, at Vital, Vince Pitstick who's- [00:49:00] who's like kind of like the guru in this world of, of functional health coaching and understanding. He started [00:49:05] Metabolic Mentor University, this, um um, series, this, this, [00:49:10] um, series of classes for coaches, for doctors, for [00:49:15] nurses to understand this whole 360 degree approach at [00:49:20] health. [00:49:20] **Cameron Mathison:** My, my, my slogan is, um, "You can't solve a [00:49:25] 360-degree problem with a 90-degree solution." [00:49:27] **Dr. Taz:** Yes. [00:49:28] **Cameron Mathison:** So he and I have [00:49:30] started Health 360. Love it. And it's, um, it's a functional, um, coaching [00:49:35] company, uh, that is going to be up and running v- you know very, very soon. It's through the [00:49:40] coaches at Vital. Uh they have their medical department for their hormone replacement therapy, for their peptide [00:49:45] therapy. [00:49:45] **Cameron Mathison:** Mm-hmm. There's a elaborate testing division as well with the GI map and the Dutch test, and there [00:49:50] are gene testing and the blood work, and then there's obviously the training and the diet and [00:49:55] nutrition portion, really like understanding nutrition. This course that I'm going through, I'm going through MMU right now, [00:50:00] the Metabolic Mentor University, is it's so incredible at learning and meeting [00:50:05] people where they are. [00:50:05] **Dr. Taz:** Right. [00:50:06] **Cameron Mathison:** Not trying to give them too much too soon. Just like, listen if you're like [00:50:10] just interested we could start you off easy. If you really are, are fed up and you've tried everything and you wanna [00:50:15] dive right in, we've got that too for you. Uh, but really coming at health like you talk [00:50:20] about. Mm-hmm. 360 degrees including meditation, I'm gonna be offering like free... [00:50:24] **Cameron Mathison:** Like certainly not [00:50:25] charging f- Amazing ... free meditations probably live on Instagram. Yeah. Yeah. Like maybe couple times a week. Ah, [00:50:29] **Dr. Taz:** amazing. [00:50:29] **Cameron Mathison:** Uh, [00:50:30] for everybody whether you're part of Health 360 or not. But I'm, I'm, I'm doing this, [00:50:35] um, because I love it. I m- I've been doing it anyway. You know, people are coming to [00:50:40] me- Yeah [00:50:40] **Cameron Mathison:** and understanding and- [00:50:41] **Dr. Taz:** Yeah ... [00:50:41] **Cameron Mathison:** and um, and I'm so excited. Like it's, it's definitely something [00:50:45] that I want to be a piece of, uh, a big piece of my future kinda moving forward, a big chap- this next [00:50:50] chapter of my life. Um, and I'll have a lot of information on that- Oh, I'm so excited about this ...on my, on my [00:50:55] Instagram eventually. [00:50:55] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah. But no, we're, it's in its infant stages, but we've got a couple clients already, kind of a pilot program. [00:51:00] We're gonna take on 10 people originally just to kind of get all the kinks out and work together on sort [00:51:05] of a discounted 10 people. Right. Right. And show what we can do, um, as far as ev- A- a- as [00:51:10] taking all the information that we're taking here, and I think this is a key for Health [00:51:15] 360 Is making it into a very simple protocol [00:51:18] **Dr. Taz:** Yes [00:51:18] **Cameron Mathison:** keeping things [00:51:20] very attainable, very simple, very relatable. Um, [00:51:25] and then but with like weekly hands-on coaching, it'll be virtual coaching, [00:51:30] but hands-on coaching check-ins. You know, uh, obviously it's all under one app where you can [00:51:35] get your supplements and your HRT and your peptides- Right, all of it together. [00:51:38] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah ... and your training and your things and the video. Like all [00:51:40] of that, but just making it really accessible and very user-friendly with a very simple protocol [00:51:45] that's... Like I said, they said this to me, and it's so fun to be able to say it, like if you follow [00:51:50] the protocol, it's like a guarantee that your health is gonna improve in all these different facets, and I [00:51:55] didn't believe it. [00:51:55] **Cameron Mathison:** Like, I really didn't believe it- [00:51:56] **Dr. Taz:** Mm-hmm ... [00:51:57] **Cameron Mathison:** until it happened. And, and I'd love ... I don't know if you're gonna be showing [00:52:00] photos through this or not. [00:52:01] **Dr. Taz:** We can. [00:52:01] **Cameron Mathison:** But, but I'd love to show like- Great, send it to us. I'd love to show, and it's not about the before and after Before [00:52:05] and afters. It's really not about the before and after, 'cause that, you can do a lot of unhealthy things- [00:52:10] To do the before and after [00:52:10] **Cameron Mathison:** to get a great before and after. Yeah, yeah. So this, I wish you could do a before and after and put my, my, like my [00:52:15] testing results up too. Yeah. But it's amazing. In the before picture you'll see inflammation, you'll see [00:52:20] bloating, you'll see like, um, you know, smaller muscles and, and it just to d-... To me it [00:52:25] still looks, you know, I still look okay But I can see it. [00:52:28] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah. And then the after is [00:52:30] just a flat belly, strong, lean. Right. You don't know... What you don't know is like a, a [00:52:35] nice balanced gut, healed hormones are balanced, blood sugar low, energy through the roof. [00:52:40] That's, that's what this sort of Health 360 offers people and it's, and it's like it feels so good [00:52:45] to be able to put it out there. [00:52:47] **Cameron Mathison:** If, if, if it's things that you guys struggle with, [00:52:50] of low energy and gut health and hormone imbalance and maybe low sex drive and [00:52:55] maybe metabolic or blood sugar levels are things that you know that are trouble for you, this would be so [00:53:00] great and helpful on any level, um, 'cause I know it's hard. Like I- Yeah [00:53:04] **Cameron Mathison:** I remember, like [00:53:05] I said, being in tears, being at like wha-... I, I don't know what to do. [00:53:09] **Dr. Taz:** Well, one of the [00:53:10] things you and I haven't talked too much about is the way, you know, the reason we have these journeys, the [00:53:15] reason I had the journey I had, the reason you do, the reason, you know, all the patients that we see have had these [00:53:20] previous journeys, is because the medical model today is not really set up [00:53:25] to dive into this, right? [00:53:26] **Dr. Taz:** Like, it's sort of s- kind of over here on the periphery a little bit. Mm. [00:53:30] And so one of the biggest challenges for both the doctor and the patient is [00:53:35] that while both want to engage in this conversation, right, there's not the [00:53:40] opportunity in a medical visit that's 10 minutes long for, at most places- Mm ... [00:53:45] 15 minutes maybe at the max, and there's not been the training for the physician, [00:53:50] honestly- Mm [00:53:50] **Dr. Taz:** to understand how to put this together and to be that guide, right? Yeah, yeah. Like, you know, for so many [00:53:55] people it's like, you know, I say it in my head, I don't say it out loud, but it's like I wish I'd seen you [00:54:00] 10 years ago. Yeah. You know? But until that model changes- [00:54:04] **Cameron Mathison:** [00:54:05] Mm-hmm ... [00:54:06] **Dr. Taz:** functional health coaching, any way you can enter, I would [00:54:10] say, this journey- Yeah [00:54:11] **Dr. Taz:** of healing yourself and understanding sort of the roots of what's going [00:54:15] on with you, that ultimately are going to change the course of your lives, to me is amazing, and [00:54:20] I'm gonna be cheerleading all the way. [00:54:22] **Dr. Taz:** Aw, thank you, yeah. [00:54:22] **Dr. Taz:** And supporting, 'cause I just think it's, it's so [00:54:25] critical, 'cause I know what people go through. [00:54:26] **Dr. Taz:** We've been through it. You've been through it probably even more so than me. [00:54:30] But people need resources. They need help. They need someone to kinda hold their hand and walk [00:54:35] them through this, because it's too hard and it's too expensive and it's so [00:54:40] confusing to do it on your own. It really is. So I'm excited about this. [00:54:42] **Dr. Taz:** I can't wait to see- Oh, thanks ... what develops out of it. [00:54:45] Thank [00:54:45] **Dr. Taz:** you, yeah. I'm excited too. [00:54:45] **Dr. Taz:** You know, and one more thing- Sure ... I think it's really important that we touch on. I know we're coming up on [00:54:50] time here, but men You know, women are really dialed [00:54:55] into the conversation. Most women are dialed into the conversation around health and wellness. [00:54:58] **Dr. Taz:** Some of us are forced [00:55:00] to be dialed into that because we go through all the shifting, right? Yeah. We have a cycle, then we don't. We're pregnant, then we're [00:55:05] not. Sure. We breastfeed. I mean, like we're, you know, we're doing all this stuff all the time. Mm-hmm. You know, men [00:55:10] don't have those clear boundaries and benchmarks- [00:55:13] **Dr. Taz:** Yeah [00:55:13] **Dr. Taz:** and oftentimes don't [00:55:15] pursue a lot of this information and don't pursue a journey, you know, a health [00:55:20] journey- True ... until, of course, someone forces them or, you know, they have to have a day of reckoning, so [00:55:25] to speak. What would you tell the men watching, you know, or the women who are concerned about their men? [00:55:29] **Dr. Taz:** Right. You know, [00:55:30] what would you tell them when it comes to this information, this journey, piecing it all [00:55:35] together, and really getting a plan that works? [00:55:37] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah. I, I love that, and I think you're right. I think a lotta guys, [00:55:40] you know, that's ... I don't know, may- I don't know. Maybe it's not cool. I, I don't know. I [00:55:45] don't know what, what's sorta keeping p- people back from wanting to really kind of, uh, [00:55:50] just give a little bit of time to it. [00:55:51] **Cameron Mathison:** What, what I would say to the guys is I would say it's not [00:55:55] hard. You know, it can be simple. I like that. Yeah. It can be simple. Simple changes can make a big difference, [00:56:00] and regardless of if you're, you know, you're proud of your potbelly and your ability to, to like, [00:56:05] you know, drink 20 [00:56:06] **Dr. Taz:** beers- [00:56:09] **Cameron Mathison:** 20 beers under the table [00:56:09] **Cameron Mathison:** yeah, whatever. [00:56:10] Oh my, we said the same thing. Um, but y- like, I get, like I, you know, listen, nobody's gonna- Stop ... well, maybe we'll stop a little bit of that. But, uh- [00:56:15] Right.But, but generally it can be really simple, slight changes. [00:56:20] It's gonna make a big difference for your longevity. Yeah. Like, you wanna be around, you [00:56:25] wanna be healthy. [00:56:25] **Cameron Mathison:** You don't want to be like ... So I'm a 55-year-old guy I swear to [00:56:30] you- The [00:56:30] **Dr. Taz:** proof is in the pudding ... [00:56:30] **Cameron Mathison:** I swear I'm not just saying this, I am stronger- [00:56:34] **Dr. Taz:** Yep ... [00:56:34] **Cameron Mathison:** [00:56:35] and healthier, you know, from a hormone point of view, from a blood sugar point of view, from a gut health point of view, from, [00:56:40] from all of inflammation, than I definitely was for sure without [00:56:45] a doubt at, when I was 30 years old. [00:56:47] **Cameron Mathison:** Like- Oh, [00:56:47] **Dr. Taz:** wow ... [00:56:47] **Cameron Mathison:** like I'm ... It's, it's an [00:56:50] incredible... It's possible, um, and it's not that hard, and you can make [00:56:55] simple changes to, to, to, to be young, f- to feel young and [00:57:00] energetic and have vitality and energy in your life, um, you know, into your [00:57:05] 50s and your 60s and your 70s for sure. And i- it's, uh... And, and I'm not just a guy [00:57:10] who's genetically kind of like, "Oh, here," 'cause that's sometimes the case, and good for you guys- Right [00:57:14] **Cameron Mathison:** whoever you are. [00:57:14] **Dr. Taz:** [00:57:15] Right, [00:57:15] **Cameron Mathison:** right. That's amazing. [00:57:15] **Dr. Taz:** Brad Pitt. [00:57:16] **Cameron Mathison:** It has been yeah, I mean- No, I'm just kidding. I'm sure Brad worked hard too but- [00:57:20] No, I'm kidding. I don't know, I don't know. He's... I- I don't know Brad's team, but it sure looks like he makes it easy. Right. He s- sure seems like he makes it easy. [00:57:25] But, um, it's been... [00:57:26] **Cameron Mathison:** It's, you know, for me, it w-... it's been hard because I've done a lot of [00:57:30] the wrong things. I've tried this, I've tried that. But, and, you know, you and I found this [00:57:35] path- Right ... this process that makes a big difference, and it can be so simple. You [00:57:40] can be all in or you can be partially in, and it's still gonna help, and that's what I would say to the guys. [00:57:43] **Cameron Mathison:** I'd be like- Oh my gosh .... and, [00:57:45] and y- and you wanna be around, you wanna be around to play with your kids, and, and you don't want to have, like, aching knees. I remember on Home and [00:57:50] Family we had... So this is the show that- Yeah ... that I was a cohost of- Where we met, yeah ... where we first met. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And the seats were [00:57:55] so low, guys, on Home and Family- Yes, they were, yeah [00:57:56] **Cameron Mathison:** that my knees would ache because they were [00:58:00] so bent that I was doing... This is... S- so on Home and Family I was- Yeah ... like, kind of a mess, and, and [00:58:05] my knees would ache interviewing, and I'd have to get up and stretch. Like, I didn't wanna be that guy. [00:58:09] **Dr. Taz:** Yeah. [00:58:10] [00:58:10] **Cameron Mathison:** Now I'm, like, s- doing low squats with 225 pounds on the barbell, and, like, I'm- [00:58:14] **Dr. Taz:** Yeah, [00:58:15] amazing [00:58:15] **Cameron Mathison:** like, I'm flexible- Wow ... and I have no joint aching. And I mean, I, I, like I mentioned, [00:58:20] my hip issue as a kid, I, you know, th- they told me I was gonna need, um, hip replacement [00:58:25] surgery, like, four years ago, and at the point now I've got no aching there and, you know, I'm just trying to prolong. It's- Right, [00:58:30] right [00:58:30] **Cameron Mathison:** definitely gonna come, but I pr- try to prolong it as long as I can. Like, there's ways to [00:58:35] avoid bringing these aches and pains, and low energy, and all the [00:58:40] things, low sex drive into your, your later life, uh, in simple ways. That's what I would say to [00:58:45] the guys [00:58:45] **Dr. Taz:** I think it's incredible. And you know, this isn't really been about aging, but I think all of us have so [00:58:50] much more we wanna do, you know, even if we're in our 50s, you know? [00:58:53] **Dr. Taz:** And so we want to be vital. And then, [00:58:55] you know, the other point for anyone who's younger watching is that younger people are sicker. [00:59:00] You know, they're actually experiencing- Definitely ... inflammation. Guys are experiencing inflammation- Definitely ... low sperm count, low [00:59:05] hormones, all. For [00:59:05] **Dr. Taz:** sure. [00:59:06] **Dr. Taz:** You know, I've been practicing for 15, 20 years. [00:59:08] **Dr. Taz:** Like I'm seeing it [00:59:10] more now than I did in the beginning of my practice where young men are really [00:59:15] struggling too. Wow. So I want everyone, I know I talk about women a lot, you know, but I [00:59:20] want everyone really on this train of pursuing, you know, their health because- It's beautiful ... it's gonna make a, [00:59:25] a difference for the long run. [00:59:26] **Cameron Mathison:** Absolutely. Tha- that's [00:59:27] **Dr. Taz:** like should- This has been- ... [00:59:28] **Cameron Mathison:** be a big takeaway ... [00:59:28] **Dr. Taz:** such a fun [00:59:30] conversation. So I, um, just two more questions. [00:59:32] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah. Great. I'll keep them short. I talk too much. [00:59:34] **Dr. Taz:** No, this has been [00:59:35] fun. So I wanna know what's next for you and what makes you whole. [00:59:39] **Cameron Mathison:** [00:59:40] Aw. Um, so what is next for me is just like, as far as like life goes, so, [00:59:45] um, this is a really new chapter for me. [00:59:47] **Cameron Mathison:** Uh- Yeah ... in the last, uh, I'd say [00:59:50] two and half years, um, uh, y- I'll just not, this [00:59:55] is not depressing. This is just like we go through it. [00:59:56] **Dr. Taz:** Yeah. [00:59:57] **Cameron Mathison:** So I've, um, you know, I went through a cancer journey- Right ... a [01:00:00] little bit longer than that ago, but then I, you know, I lost my mom. [01:00:02] **Dr. Taz:** Mm. [01:00:03] **Cameron Mathison:** Um, Home and Family got canceled. [01:00:05] Um, my, my wife and I had a 22-year marriage that separated. [01:00:08] **Cameron Mathison:** We're now- So sorry ... you know, going through a divorce [01:00:10] together. We're getting along great, and it's all, it's all cool. My dog passed away, my kids have left home- Not the dog ... and gone off to [01:00:15] college in Europe. Wow. So like, it's like been one thing. You're like new [01:00:18] **Dr. Taz:** territory. [01:00:19] **Cameron Mathison:** So, so, you know, in [01:00:20] this, I would say what's next for me is embracing change- Yeah [01:00:23] **Cameron Mathison:** embracing this new chapter. [01:00:25] I love having time to, to prioritize my health and try to spread it and help others. [01:00:30] That's, that's a big part of what's hap- next for me. I mean, I'm lucky I'm still on General [01:00:35] Hospital. I play, uh- Amazing ... Drew Cordayman on- Yeah ... on General Hospital, even though he's a real troublemaker right [01:00:40] now. [01:00:40] **Cameron Mathison:** True. Yeah I'll just say this because it's true, but he's [01:00:45] having, like, a, a love, a love triangle between Nina and Willow, and Willow happens [01:00:50] to be Nina's daughter. Ooh. So it's like, it's a whole- Wow. It's a triangle. Nice. But it's fun. Like, [01:00:55] it's kinda weird, and it's got ... I'm c- like, people are hating me right now- Oh, my gosh [01:00:57] **Cameron Mathison:** which I'm not used to. Yeah. Um, and then I, I'm [01:01:00] hosting a game show for my first time. [01:01:01] **Dr. Taz:** I heard about that. [01:01:03] **Cameron Mathison:** Beat the Bridge on Game Show Network. It's [01:01:05] literally a blast. I have to check that out. So check that out, too. Yeah. So I've got all these cool things work-wise. I've got my [01:01:10] health- [01:01:10] **Dr. Taz:** Yeah ... [01:01:10] **Cameron Mathison:** happening, and then most importantly, what keeps me whole, um, for sure is [01:01:15] my spiritual life in conjunction with my kids and my family. [01:01:18] **Cameron Mathison:** I love that. Uh, I'm a b- as I mentioned, [01:01:20] a big meditator. I, I care so much about being a good person, incr- [01:01:25] improving, you know, my ability to love others and have compassion and not take myself too [01:01:30] seriously, so selflessness and being generous and kind and, and respectful to others, and I train in that in [01:01:35] meditation. [01:01:35] **Cameron Mathison:** I try to, I try to put that out in the world and try to raise two kids doing the same thing. So, um, [01:01:40] after this interview, I know this is not gonna be in real time, but I'm heading to Europe to go see them right now, so. [01:01:44] **Dr. Taz:** Oh, amazing. I'm really [01:01:45] excited. [01:01:45] **Cameron Mathison:** Yeah. [01:01:45] **Dr. Taz:** Well, thank you so much. Thank you. I am so honored to have been able to spend [01:01:50] some time with you and to have everyone hear your story. [01:01:52] **Dr. Taz:** Oh, thanks. I think you are such a great [01:01:55] example of what science means, what spirit means, what it means to be healthy, [01:02:00] how to pursue that journey in a very sort of logical and practical [01:02:05] way, and I can't wait to see what you do next. [01:02:06] **Cameron Mathison:** I appreciate it. Thank you so much for having me on. Yes. And I love what you're doing, [01:02:10] as I have from the moment I met [01:02:11] **Dr. Taz:** you. [01:02:11] **Dr. Taz:** Thank you. Well, thank you. [01:02:14] **Dr. Taz:** Thank you so [01:02:15] much for listening and watching today's episode of Whole Plus. Be sure to share this episode with [01:02:20] your friends and family, and if you haven't already, please take a moment to subscribe to this podcast on [01:02:25] YouTube or click the follow button on Apple, Spotify, or wherever it is that you get your podcasts. [01:02:29] **Dr. Taz:** [01:02:30] And don't forget to follow me on all social channels at DrTazMD. Until next [01:02:35] time, stay healthy and stay whole.