Samuel Shepherd

00:00 – Introduction

• Welcome and episode overview
• Introduction of guest Sam Shepard, biochemical engineer
• Discussion of his unique “n of one” experiment developing astaxanthin therapy
• Announcement of sponsor code: valasta.net with code POI5 for 5% discount
• Episode topics preview: reactive oxygen species (ROS), inflammation, disease processes

01:48 – Sam’s Medical Crisis Begins

• Sam’s health problems started in 2003 with high blood pressure and AFib
• Initial suspicion of coronary artery disease, but arteries were clear
• Emergency call from nurse requesting Monday morning appointment
• Blood pressure spikes as high as 280/160

02:43 – Diagnosis: Polycythemia Vera

• Diagnosed with rare blood cancer: polycythemia vera
• JAK2/STAT3 mutation causing overactive stem cells
• Normal production: 3-5 million red blood cells/day
• Sam’s production: 35-60 million red blood cells/day
• Hemoglobin spiked to 27; hematocrit in low 80s
• Blood described as “ketchup-like” viscosity

04:46 – Treatment and Prognosis

• Immediately transferred to hospital for phlebotomy
• Required monthly phlebotomies for four years
• Prognosis: 3% chance of surviving past 10 years
• Doctor’s statement: “10 minutes to 10 years” – could throw clot at any time
• 97% mortality rate within 10 years
• No chemo or radiation protocol available

06:30 – The Question That Changed Everything

• After four years, Sam realized he needed a solution
• Early morning epiphany at 4 AM: “What animals don’t get cancer?”
• Used Department of Defense ProQuest database for research
• Searched for animals with no recorded cancer cases

08:21 – Discovery of Common Thread

• Database returned five animals: salmon, pink flamingos, sharks, elephants, naked mole rats
• (Shrimp and lobsters later identified as well)
• Contacted Scripps for mass spectrometry analysis
• Requested screening algorithm to identify unexpected molecules
• Four months later: ONE molecule found across all five species – astaxanthin

09:25 – Understanding Astaxanthin

• Astaxanthin is a carotenoid produced by algae Hematococcus pluvialis
• Obtained algae species from University of Texas
• Grew algae in “hillbilly hot tub” (Intex inflatable pool with heater and blower)
• Created greenhouse-like cover for cultivation

10:21 – Algae Cultivation Technique

• Based on research from Salton Sea area
• Algae produces carotenoids under stress (dying conditions)
• Key discovery: increased salinity triggers carotenoid production
• Added salt to reactor → within 48 hours algae turned from green to bright purple/red
• Used dissolved air flotation to harvest
• Manually skimmed and dehydrated the red algae
• Final product: 3.8% astaxanthin content

12:04 – First Dosing Experiments

• Started conservatively at 4-5 mg/day (based on Scripps non-hazardous dose limit)
• Scripps was researching it as salmon dye for farm-raised fish
• Sprinkled dried algae on eggs, salads, or in cookies
• After 4-5 months at 4 mg/day:
  • A1C dropped from 6.2 (pre-diabetic) to 5.4
  • Blood work normalized
  • Phlebotomies extended from monthly to every 2 months

13:19 – Dose Escalation to 12 mg/day

• Tripled dose to 12 mg/day
• After two months: phlebotomies extended to every 4 months
• Reduction from 12 times/year to 3 times/year – statistically significant

15:00 – Mathematical Projection

• Had three data points with different slopes:
  • Control: monthly phlebotomies
  • 4 mg: every 2 months
  • 12 mg: every 4 months
• Calculated dose needed to eliminate phlebotomies for 50 years: 96 mg/day
• Began taking 100 mg/day

16:56 – Effects at 100 mg/day

• Only side effect: red stool (from astaxanthin dye, similar to beets)
• Increased energy levels
• Blood sugar levels dropped significantly
• Blood work normalized completely
• Phlebotomies ended within 2 months

17:04 – The Why Behind the Effect

• Spent 8 years and significant money understanding the biochemical mechanism
• Background in polymer manufacturing and free radical chemistry
• Focused research on reactive oxygen species (ROS)

20:50 – Identifying the Culprit: Hydroxyl Free Radical

• Four main ROS identified: superoxide, singlet oxygen, peroxyl non-radical, hydroxyl free radical
• Hydroxyl free radical steals electrons from DNA at guanine sites
• Guanine has lowest oxidation potential in DNA
• This is where mutations occur

21:35 – The Mutation Mechanism

• Hydroxyl radical changes guanine into cytosine
• PARP and BRCA1 repair the break but convert it to cytosine
• Results in permanent mutation (G→C)
• If RNA messenger picks this up, it translates into mutated proteins
• This process causes genetic mutations leading to cancer

22:51 – Discovery of Inflammation Marker

• Tracked high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HS-CRP)
• Liver produces CRP in response to systemic inflammation
• Sam’s HS-CRP dropped from 12 to under 2
• Arthritis in fingers and ankles resolved in about 7 days at 100 mg dose
• At age 73: no arthritis, no joint problems

24:07 – Glutathione Study

• Conducted study on blood from age 5 to 105 years old
• Measured RBC glutathione levels and HS-CRP
• Young people: high glutathione, very low HS-CRP
• Women age 40-42: HS-CRP uptick, 60% decrease in glutathione
• Major breakdown around age 50

25:00 – Age-Related Antioxidant Decline

• Intracellular antioxidants decline with age: glutathione, catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD)
• This explains age-onset diseases after 50
• Oral glutathione doesn’t survive stomach acid
• IV glutathione doesn’t enter cells
• Glutathione is made intracellularly from lysine, leucine, tryptophan
• 11-step pathway becomes inefficient with age

27:07 – The Solution: Electron Donation

• Key insight: donate an electron to free radical → neutralizes to water
• ROS are made in mitochondria from sugars/carbohydrates
• Fenton reaction (peroxide + iron/copper) produces massive amounts of free radicals

28:01 – Commercial Production Begins

• 2013: Moved to Charleston to secure facility
• Began producing 3,000 mg/day
• Kept operation very quiet due to FDA uncertainty
• Approved in Europe but overlooked in US

29:01 – First Cancer Patient: Lori

• Late 2013: Lady at Mississippi party wearing bandana
• Stage 4 inflammatory breast cancer
• 2 brain tumors, 7 colon tumors, lesion under left armpit
• Sent home with hospice: 2-4 months to live, already in month 2
• Despite warnings not to tell anyone, party host had revealed Sam’s work
• Lori volunteered to take astaxanthin

29:52 – High-Risk Decision

• Sam had no dose guidance beyond his own experience
• Lori grabbed his cheeks: “I have two months left”
• Decided to give her 3,000 mg/day (30x his therapeutic dose)
• Committed to 60 days (her remaining two months)

31:06 – Dramatic Recovery

• Day 42: Lori called feeling much better, gaining weight
• Hospice notified MD Anderson she wasn’t progressing toward death
• Hospice left
• Called to MD Anderson for examination

32:03 – MD Anderson Findings

• Doctor couldn’t find colon tumors by palpation
• Scan showed no traces of cancer in her body
• Doctor questioned if misdiagnosis had occurred
• Extensive questioning about diet changes
• Lori revealed nothing to doctors

33:41 – Blood Work Discovery

• MD Anderson took extensive blood samples
• Three days later: pathologist called asking what changed in her diet
• Found marker (astaxanthin) not in previous samples
• Lori couldn’t resist revealing she changed something
• Gave Sam’s contact information to pathologist

35:00 – Confrontation with Pathologist

• Pathologist called Sam, accused of practicing medicine without license
• Sam demanded pathologist’s name, address, and bank account
• Explained it was pure research, First Amendment rights
• Pathologist hung up, never contacted again

36:01 – Expanding Treatment

• 2013-2014: Began producing and giving to family and friends
• Cancers disappeared in 30-60 days depending on type and severity
• Most shocking: glioblastoma cases

37:00 – Glioblastoma Success

• Four initial glioblastoma cases
• Within 30 days: cancer progression stopped
• Secondary issue: fluid retention in cranium from inflammatory cleanup response
• Two cases required shunts to drain fluid
• No live cancer cells found in fluid, PET scans negative
• Current record: 18/18 glioblastomas cured
• Pancreatic cancer proving most difficult (extracellular matrix resistance)

37:48 – Washington DC Presentation

• Spoke to senators, representatives, Ben Carson’s team
• Five major hospitals represented: Johns Hopkins, Sloan Kettering, MD Anderson, Mayo, Cleveland Clinic
• Two-hour oral thesis presentation
• Johns Hopkins Director of Oncology apologized for initial skepticism
• Acknowledged Sam “figured it out”

38:57 – NIH Funding

• Director is gatekeeper for Congress→NIH funding
• Sam offered to work free of charge
• Director told him to “just go away” (to avoid bias)
• NIH allocated ~$80 million to prove Sam wrong
• Instead, proved him right
• Can now Google “NIH + astaxanthin + [disease]” for research

39:35 – Diseases Researched

• NIH research now covers: cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, MS, irritable bowel, Hashimoto’s
• All showing ROS component as disease cause

40:00 – Mechanism of Action: Protein Misfolding

• Hydroxyl free radical steals electrons from anything it contacts
• Affects carbohydrates, proteins, enzymes, RNA, DNA
• Changes electronic configuration → protein misfolding

40:55 – Insulin Resistance Example

• Insulin produced as straight line, then folded by ribosomes
• Van der Waals and electrostatic forces create precise folding
• Functional group must stick out perfectly to fit insulin receptor
• Hydroxyl radical steals electron → electrostatic misfolding
• Misfolded insulin can’t fit receptor properly
• This is insulin resistance

42:39 – Type 2 Diabetes Reversal

• Works on type 2 diabetes (not type 1)
• When HS-CRP drops under 3 mg/L: no medication needed
• Blood sugar “dropped like a rock”
• Problem: patients on medication experienced hypoglycemia
• Solution: stop insulin/Metformin as blood sugar normalizes
• Mindset shift required: don’t give insulin to normal blood work

45:00 – Alzheimer’s Disease Mechanism

• MIT research on amyloid protein buildup
• Debate exists: amyloid may be protective in full form
• Problem: amyloid snipped at wrong point by hydroxyl free radicals
• Snipped portions can’t be cleared by microglia
• Microglia are brain’s waste management (not human cells, no DNA)
• Microglia love amyloid protein but lose energy with age

46:39 – MIT Light Therapy Study

• MIT drilled holes in genetically modified rats’ heads
• Fiber optic delivered light at specific frequency to occipital lobe
• Rats relearned mazes, gamma frequency returned
• Sam’s background: electromagnetic pulse weapons development
• Knew how to alter brain frequencies (alpha, beta, theta, gamma)

47:45 – Non-Invasive Light Therapy

• Sam proposed sending signal through the eye instead
• Eyes convert photons to electrons at same frequency
• Room lights: 60 Hz = 120 flashes/second
• Brain operates at 120 flashes/second with lights on
• Sleep requires <30 flashes/second (15 Hz)
• 20 Hz light (40 flashes/second) mimics fiber optic approach
• Successfully stopped Alzheimer’s progression

48:53 – Two-Pronged Alzheimer’s Approach

1. Prevent amyloid protein misfolding (astaxanthin)
2. Clear existing plaque (light therapy)

• Misfolded amyloid plaques on myelin sheath
• Destroys insulating layer around nerve axons
• Cell short circuits, bleeds electricity
• Eventually dies (irreversible Alzheimer’s damage)

49:53 – The Balance of ROS

• Some ROS required for cellular communication
• Problem is chronic high levels of ROS
• Cells damaged by high oxidation rates from free radicals

Key Takeaways

1. Astaxanthin Source: Carotenoid from Hematococcus pluvialis algae
2. Sam’s Therapeutic Dose: 100 mg/day (eliminated polycythemia vera phlebotomies)
3. Cancer Treatment Doses: Up to 3,000 mg/day
4. Mechanism: Neutralizes hydroxyl free radicals by donating electrons
5. Primary Benefit: Reduces systemic inflammation (HS-CRP)
6. Success Rate: 18/18 glioblastomas cured
7. Additional Benefits: Reverses type 2 diabetes, eliminates arthritis, improves Alzheimer’s
8. Website: valasta.net | Discount Code: POI5 (5% off)

Special Offer: Save 15% Using Code “SBPOD” At Checkout

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