My Journey to Redefining Health
In August 2021, during the peak of COVID-19, I was training for the Mr. Atlas World Championship when I contracted the virus. The extreme training and lack of oxygen put extra stress on my heart, leading to a silent heart attack that I initially ignored. After a second attack, I underwent open-heart surgery, only to suffer two punctured lungs in the process. I was placed in a medically induced coma for weeks as my body fought to survive.
After returning home, the real battle began. Doctors prescribed five heart medications and demanded I quit bodybuilding for good, requiring a defibrillator implant in the near future. Faced with this grim prognosis, I knew I couldn't accept it. I began my own cardiac rehabilitation, drawing on my functional medicine training to find natural solutions that addressed the root causes. To my amazement, not only did my heart health improve, but my muscular gains skyrocketed as well.
Determined to prove the medical community wrong, I ramped up my training and had a stress test a year later - the results were better than average, clearing me to return to competition. In June 2023, I was crowned Masters Mr. Atlas World Champion, medication-free and with normal blood pressure. But my journey didn't end there.
As a chiropractor, 2x professional athlete, and former wrestling champion, I've long been passionate about nutrition and peak performance. When the COVID-19 backlash and the tragic loss of 8 elite athletes to heart attacks pushed me to dig deeper, I found my true calling - redefining the limits of human health and performance through functional medicine.
I've been practicing functional medicine since 2012, leveraging specialized testing and personalized nutrition to help patients achieve sustainable excellence. My unique insight is that each individual is biochemically and genetically distinct, so a one-size-fits-all approach simply won't cut it. I'm most passionate about addressing cardiac health in high-performers, empowering them to operate at the pinnacle of human potential without compromise.
This is my mission - to educate patients on the difference between health care and sick care, and equip them with the tools to rewrite their own health destinies. Join me on this journey to sustainable excellence in all areas of life.
