The School of Doza Podcast

In this Wellness Tech installment, Jonathan Mendoza, DC, APRN, NP-C — Nurse Doza — explains why red light panels have become a daily fixture in his clinic and his home. He covers how red and near-infrared wavelengths reach the mitochondria to support healthy ATP production, why panels deliver solar-style input without UV exposure, how he personally uses violet light to wind down at night, and what the emerging 40Hz gamma-frequency research does and does not yet show in humans.

FEATURED PARTNER

LightpathLED builds veteran-owned red and near-infrared light therapy panels. Nurse Doza uses one daily and highlights this brand specifically because it offers more than a single red setting — it includes violet-spectrum output and adjustable frequency, including a 40Hz option he notes he hasn't found on other consumer panels.

Shop: https://lightpathled.com
Code: NURSEDOZA (discount applied at checkout)
Current promo:Select Diesel Gen3 panels ship with a free stand — verify at checkout, promos change

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The School of Doza is a paid health-education community with live group consults every **Wednesday at 1 PM Central**, plus courses, protocols, and direct access to Nurse Doza.

Start your free trial: https://www.schoolofdoza.com

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5 Key Takeaways

1. Red and near-infrared light interact with your mitochondria, not just your skin.These wavelengths are absorbed by cytochrome c oxidase in the electron transport chain, which supports healthy ATP production — the mechanism researchers call photobiomodulation.

2. A panel delivers solar-style light input without the UV load.Most people spend the majority of daylight hours indoors under light their cells don't recognize. Red light panels are one way to add that input without the burn risk that comes with UV exposure.

3. Panels are low-friction to use. No undressing required — Nurse Doza sits in front of his and lets it hit his forehead. He uses sessions in the two-to-five-minute range as his own personal routine, not a prescribed protocol.

4. Violet light sits at the opposite end of the visible spectrum from red. Nurse Doza reports using violet output in the evening as part of his wind-down. This is his subjective experience — violet-specific calming effects are not yet well established in the peer-reviewed literature.

5. The 40Hz frequency setting is an area of active research, not settled science. Gamma-frequency entrainment at 40Hz has been studied for its effects on brain activity, but the most-cited amyloid findings are from animal models and have published author corrections. Interesting, worth following — not a treatment.

Citations:

1. de Freitas LF, Hamblin MR. **Proposed Mechanisms of Photobiomodulation or Low-Level Light Therapy.** *IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics.* 2016. PMID: 28070154 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28070154/

2. Hamblin MR. **Mechanisms and Mitochondrial Redox Signaling in Photobiomodulation.** *Photochemistry and Photobiology.* 2018. PMID: 29164625 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29164625/

3. Maghfour J, Ozog DM, Mineroff J, Jagdeo J, Kohli I, Lim HW. **Photobiomodulation CME Part I: Overview and Mechanism of Action.** *Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.* 2024. PMID: 38309304 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38309304/

4. Nairuz T, Cho S, Lee JH. **Photobiomodulation Therapy on Brain: Pioneering an Innovative Approach to Revolutionize Cognitive Dynamics.** *Cells.* 2024. PMID: 38891098 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38891098/

5. Iaccarino HF, Singer AC, Martorell AJ, et al. **Gamma frequency entrainment attenuates amyloid load and modifies microglia.** *Nature.* 2016;540:230–235. PMID: 27929004 · PMCID: PMC5656389 — https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5656389/
   *Note: animal-model study. Two author corrections have since been published (2018, 2024).*

Bonus — sleep and LED light therapy:
Liao YH, Tai CJ, Ming JL, Lin LH, Chien LY. **The Effectiveness of Low-Level LED Light Therapy for Sleep Problems, Psychological Symptoms, and Heart Rate Variability in Shift-Work Nurses: A Randomized Controlled Trial.** *Journal of Nursing Management.* 2025. PMID: 40557249 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40557249/
🔗 Connect with Nurse Doza:

JOIN MY SCHOOL for FREE: https://community.schoolofdoza.com/c/start-here

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In this School of Doza episode, Nurse Doza opens the Metabolic Series with the adrenal glands — and why you may feel tired all day, crash between 2 and 4 PM, and wake up unrested. He explains how chronic stress can keep the body stuck in fight-or-flight, why that pattern is hard to shift, and the daily levers he leans on: belly breathing, less screen time at night, and morning sunlight. Then he breaks down Zen by MSW Nutrition — adrenal glandular plus four adaptogens — for stress support.

FEATURED PARTNER

Zen by MSW Nutrition is built in three layers rather than a single botanical: **125 mg of adrenal glandular tissue** (bovine, sourced from Argentina), **four standardized adaptogens** — Asian ginseng, rhodiola, eleuthero, and schisandra — plus **cofactor nutrients** (vitamin C, B6 as P5P, and pantothenic acid). Licorice rounds out the 9-ingredient formula. It's the supplement Nurse Doza reaches for when the goal is supporting the adrenal glands and the body's stress response, instead of layering more caffeine on top of a depleted system.

👉 **Get Zen (Buy 2, Get 1 Free — 3 bottles $138, free shipping):** https://zen.mswnutrition.com
Not a subscription — every order is one-time.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Zen contains licorice root, which may affect blood pressure and potassium and can interact with some medications. If you're pregnant or nursing, have high blood pressure, or take prescription medication — including corticosteroids or blood pressure medication — talk with your provider before starting Zen. Persistent fatigue has many possible causes; work with a licensed provider rather than self-diagnosing.*

 KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. The 2–4 PM crash isn't a caffeine deficit.

2. Chronic stress can keep you stuck in fight-or-flight.

3. **"Tired but wired" is worth investigating, not self-diagnosing.** Persistent fatigue overlaps with thyroid issues, anemia, sleep apnea, blood sugar swings, and mood disorders. The symptom pattern is a signal to get properly worked up with a provider — not a diagnosis you give yourself.

4. **Three free levers, plus a way to track them.** Belly breathing, less screen time at night, and morning sunlight are the daily habits Nurse Doza returns to first — slow diaphragmatic breathing in particular has measurable effects on cardiac vagal activity. If you wear a device, resting heart rate and HRV are useful trend lines to watch over weeks, not days.

5. **Zen layers glandular, adaptogens, and cofactors.** Rather than one extract, Zen combines 125 mg of bovine adrenal glandular tissue with four standardized adaptogens and the vitamin C, B6, and pantothenic acid the stress-response pathway draws on — formulated to support adrenal function and stress resilience.

## RESOURCES

*Based on peer-reviewed literature:*

1. **HPA axis dysregulation — recognition and recovery** – Integrative review of how the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis becomes dysregulated under stress, and the diagnostic and management approaches used. *The American Journal of Medicine,* 2025. PMID 40499704 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40499704/

2. **How adaptogens work** – Review of the system-level, molecular, and cellular mechanisms of selected plant adaptogens, including their effects on stress-response signaling. *Nutrients,* 2026. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13029160/

3. **Rhodiola rosea, fatigue & stress** – Systematic review of *Rhodiola rosea* for physical and mental fatigue. Worth noting: the authors conclude the trial evidence is mixed and call for more rigorous RCTs — the mechanistic rationale is stronger than the clinical trial base. *BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine,* 2012. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3541197/

4. **Eleuthero as an adaptogen** – Comprehensive review of *Eleutherococcus* root phytochemistry and pharmacology in the context of its adaptogenic effect. *Frontiers in Pharmacology,* 2025. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12605232/

5. **Slow breathing & vagal tone** – Randomized crossover trial showing slow deep breathing increases heart rate variability and modulates cardiac vagal activity in healthy men. *Scientific Reports,* 2021;11:20306. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-99183-2

## 🔗 Connect with Nurse Doza:
JOIN MY SCHOOL for FREE: https://community.schoolofdoza.com/c/start-here

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwcKyagDi468WscAOWM5VHA
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Your liver and blood sugar are far more connected than most people realize. In this episode, Nurse Doza walks through five links between the two: how the liver stores and releases glucose, where insulin resistance actually begins, how stress and cortisol raise blood sugar without food, how all of it lands on your mitochondria, and what obesity has to do with the whole picture.

Featured Product 
The Metabolic Pack bundles the three formulas this episode keeps circling back to: Liver Boost to support phase I and phase II liver detoxification pathways, Mitochondriac for resveratrol, quercetin and pterostilbene to support cellular energy production, and Zen to support a healthy stress and cortisol response. Liver, cellular energy, and stress — supported together in one simple daily protocol.

Suggested use: 2 Liver Boost, 1 Mitochondriac, and 1 Zen daily with food.

👉 Get the Metabolic Pack here: https://mswnutrition.com/products/metabolic-pack

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Join the School of Doza
If this episode explained the energy crashes, the 3pm cravings, or the blood sugar numbers that never seem to move, the next step is not another podcast — it is asking your own questions. Every Wednesday inside the School of Doza we run a live Ask Me Anything: a live-only group consult where you can bring your labs, your blood sugar, your liver questions, or your supplement routine and get direct answers in real time.

You also get the $10 course library, including the stress management course mentioned in this episode, plus a community of people working through the same metabolic questions instead of guessing alone.

👉 Start your free trial: https://community.schoolofdoza.com/c/start-here

5 Key Takeaways

Your liver is the body’s main glucose storage tank. It stores glucose as glycogen after you eat and releases it back into circulation when you fast — which is why your blood sugar keeps running even when you skip a meal.

Insulin is the middleman between the two. When there is more glucose coming in than your muscles are using, insulin keeps packing it into the liver and fat cells — and that pattern is where hepatic insulin resistance and fatty liver take hold.

Stress raises blood sugar without a single bite of food. Cortisol drives the liver to release stored glucose, and chronically elevated cortisol also drives the cravings that put more of it back.

Muscle is the escape valve. Roughly 80% of the glucose from a meal is designed to go to skeletal muscle — but only if you actually use it. Movement after meals is one of the most underrated tools for insulin sensitivity.

It all lands on your mitochondria. Insulin resistance and impaired mitochondrial function travel together in type 2 diabetes and fatty liver, which is why supporting the liver, the stress response, and cellular energy at the same time makes more sense than chasing one symptom.

Timestamps
00:00 START – Welcome and episode overview

01:54 – Class is in session: why liver and blood sugar belong in the same conversation

02:10 – LINK 1 — Your liver stores your blood sugar

03:52 – The four main storage sites: muscle, liver, fat cells, brain

05:10 – The refrigerator analogy: whatever is in your fridge ends up in your liver

06:10 – LINK 2 — Diabetes and where insulin resistance starts

07:46 – Insulin as the Uber driver for everything you eat

09:58 – What is inside Liver Boost and why those ingredients matter here

11:30 – LINK 3 — Stress raises blood sugar without you eating

11:51 – Cortisol, morning wake-up, and fasting blood sugar

13:50 – Zen, adrenal support, and the $10 stress management course

16:18 – Why exercise is the most underrated blood sugar tool

18:32 – The endurance athlete paradox nobody talks about

20:14 – LINK 4 — Blood sugar and the liver regulate your mitochondria

25:07 – LINK 5 — Obesity, resveratrol, AMPK, and PGC-1 alpha

Resources

Metabolic Pack — MSW Nutrition — https://mswnutrition.com/products/metabolic-pack

Liver Boost (Detox) — MSW Nutrition — https://mswnutrition.com/products/liver-boost

Mitochondriac (NAD+ Support) — MSW Nutrition — https://mswnutrition.com/products/mitochondriac

Zen (Stress Relief) — MSW Nutrition — https://mswnutrition.com/products/zen

School of Doza — start your free trial — https://community.schoolofdoza.com/c/start-here

School of Doza — $10 courses — https://schoolofdoza.com/courses

Hepatic Glucose Metabolism in the Steatotic Liver (Frontiers in Endocrinology) — https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2018.00802/full

Gluconeogenesis overview (Britannica) — https://www.britannica.com/science/gluconeogenesis

Cortisol, insulin resistance and metabolic regulation (Metabolites, MDPI) — https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/14/6/336

Hepatic mitochondrial function in insulin resistance and NAFLD (PMC) — https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7811046/

Mitochondrial dysfunction, obesity and insulin resistance (Frontiers in Physiology) — https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2019.00532/full

Resveratrol, AMPK and hepatocyte mitochondria (Molecular Pharmacology) — https://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/article/S0026-895X(24)09107-7/abstract

World Obesity Day — global obesity projections — https://www.worldobesityday.org/

🔗 Connect with Nurse Doza
JOIN MY SCHOOL for FREE: https://community.schoolofdoza.com/c/start-here

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwcKyagDi468WscAOWM5VHA

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Website: http://www.nursedoza.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-mendoza-dc-aprn-np-c-0609a038/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nursedoza

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nursedoza

In this School of Doza episode, we break  down the loop between stubborn belly fat and low testosterone: fat tissue raises aromatase activity, converts testosterone into estradiol, and releases inflammatory signals that can suppress the brain-to-testes axis. He then walks through five everyday factors pushing testosterone the wrong direction—alcohol, fast food, sugar, sitting, and poor sleep—and what to change first when energy, motivation, and workouts have all quietly flattened out.

FEATURED PARTNER

Zen by MSW Nutrition is the adrenal and adaptogen formula Nurse Doza reaches for when stress is the thing driving the loop. Every one of the five factors in this episode—alcohol, processed food, blood sugar swings, sedentary days, broken sleep—lands on the same stress-response system that sits upstream of hormone signaling. Zen pairs bovine adrenal concentrate with Asian ginseng, eleuthero, schisandra, and rhodiola, plus 150 mg of pantothenic acid, P-5-P (activated B6), and vitamin C, to support the body's adaptogenic response and normal adrenal function—without caffeine.

👉 Get Zen (Stress Relief): https://mswnutrition.com/products/zen Two capsules daily. Free shipping on orders over $149, and 5% off when you subscribe.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Zen is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Zen is not a testosterone treatment. If you're pregnant or nursing, have high blood pressure, or take prescription medication—including blood pressure or blood-sugar medication—talk with your provider before starting a new supplement. Licorice root may raise blood pressure in some people.

5 KEY TAKEAWAYS
Belly fat and low testosterone feed each other. Fat tissue is hormonally active. As it increases, aromatase activity can rise—converting more testosterone into estradiol—while inflammatory signals and adipokines like leptin may suppress the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis. Low T makes fat easier to gain, and that fat makes healthy T harder to hold.
Alcohol disrupts the signal, and the pattern matters more than the drink. Alcohol can interfere with GnRH from the brain and LH and FSH from the pituitary—the chain that tells the testes to produce testosterone. Heavier intake shows a stronger effect than light or occasional drinking, and beer adds phytoestrogenic hops compounds like 8-prenylnaringenin on top.
Fast food creates a metabolic environment that isn't testosterone-friendly. Refined carbs, certain polyunsaturated fats, low fiber, and packaging and pesticide exposures stack up. One meal isn't the issue—the repeated pattern is, because it drives belly fat, insulin resistance, and inflammation right back into the aromatase loop.
Sitting is a hormonal input, not just a posture problem. Research has found a non-linear relationship between sedentary time and testosterone deficiency, with a marked jump in likelihood once daily sitting exceeds roughly 4.5 hours. Large-muscle work—squats, hinges, lunges, leg press, loaded carries—sends a stronger signal than isolation work alone.
Testosterone is made on a sleep schedule. Levels rise during sleep and are typically highest in the morning. Sleep restriction and fragmentation can blunt that rhythm, disrupt diurnal GnRH release, and cut into the early REM window when testosterone tends to run higher. Fix sleep before you chase anything exotic.
RESOURCES

Based on peer-reviewed literature:

Alcohol, LH, FSH & testosterone https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11759224/
Dietary fat quality & androgens – Cross-sectional analysis of dietary fat quality and serum androgen concentrations in middle-aged men. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2023. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-023-01358-9
Leptin, obesity & low testosterone – Review of the role of leptin and low testosterone in obesity, including HPG-axis suppression and aromatase activity. International Journal of Impotence Research, 2022. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41443-022-00534-y
Sedentary time & testosterone deficiency – Non-linear association and threshold effect of sedentary behavior on testosterone deficiency (marked risk increase past ~4.5 h/day). Endocrine, 2025. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12020-025-04199-7
Sleep restriction & testosterone – Leproult R, Van Cauter E. Effect of 1 week of sleep restriction on testosterone levels in young healthy men. JAMA, 2011. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4445839/

🔗 Connect with Nurse Doza:

JOIN MY SCHOOL for FREE: https://community.schoolofdoza.com/c/start-here

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwcKyagDi468WscAOWM5VHA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nursedoza/
Website: http://www.nursedoza.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-mendoza-dc-aprn-np-c-0609a038/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nursedoza
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nursedoza

In this School of Doza episode, Nurse Doza reframes "I'm so tired" as a code with five different signals—and shows how to read yours. He breaks down the five types of energy the body actually runs on: dopamine for drive, cortisol for the morning wake-up, blood sugar and mitochondria for cellular fuel, glutathione to clear cellular clutter, and NAD for turning food into energy. Instead of masking fatigue with more caffeine, he explains how to spot the one you're missing and fuel it.

FEATURED PARTNER

Boost by MSW Nutrition is the "multivitamin you can feel"—the raw-materials approach to energy Nurse Doza describes in this episode. One stick delivers a big hit of methylated B12, electrolytes and minerals, plus antioxidants like glutathione and vitamin C, and it uses a slow-release caffeine technology for steady, usable energy instead of a spike-and-crash (a Caffeine Free option is available too). That's why Boost is his go-to for filling the nutritional gaps behind low energy.

👉 Get Boost (Buy 2, Get 1 Free): https://boost.mswnutrition.com
Mix & match any flavor—Mixed Berry, Citrus, or Caffeine Free—and your lowest-priced item is free. Free shipping over $150. Offer ends July 31, 2026.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Boost is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Persistent fatigue can have medical causes—if you're pregnant or nursing, take prescription medication, or have ongoing symptoms, talk with your provider before starting a new supplement.

5 KEY TAKEAWAYS

Dopamine is your "let's go" energy. More than a pleasure chemical, dopamine drives the motivation and focus to actually start and finish tasks. If you feel physically capable of moving but have zero drive, a dopamine gap—not laziness—may be the issue.

Cortisol is your wake-up energy. A healthy morning cortisol rise is part of what gets you out of bed. When it runs low, fatigue can feel bone-deep and may show up alongside low mood, muscle aches, or dizziness—so a constant morning slump is worth examining (and worth a provider conversation if it persists).

Blood sugar control feeds your mitochondria. When blood sugar swings or cells stop responding to insulin well, the mitochondria can't produce energy efficiently and you crash. Steady blood sugar supports steady energy—and regular exercise is one of the best ways to improve insulin signaling.

Glutathione is your cellular cleanup crew. This master antioxidant helps reduce cellular damage; a cluttered, "dirty" cell can't make energy well. Supporting glutathione may support insulin sensitivity and that lighter, more-mobile feeling—so sluggishness can be a dirty engine, not just low fuel.

NAD powers the food-to-energy conversion. NAD is central to turning food into usable cellular energy, and B vitamins, resveratrol, and taurine support that pathway. Taurine is a standout: beyond heart support, its action on GABA receptors is tied to calm, steady energy instead of jitters.

RESOURCES
Based on peer-reviewed literature:

Dopamine, motivation & drive – Review of dopamine's role in effort-based decision making and the "activational" side of motivation. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2011. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3122071/
Low cortisol & fatigue – Review of hypocortisolism and its links to fatigue, burnout, and stress-related bodily disorders. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2005. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15950390/
Blood sugar, exercise & muscle – Review of how exercise regulates glucose uptake and insulin signaling in skeletal muscle. Advances in Physiology Education, 2014. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4315445/
Glutathione, oxidative stress & insulin – Review of glutathione insufficiency, oxidative stress, and insulin function in type 2 diabetes. Biomedicines, 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11762874/
NAD, mitochondria & cellular energy – Review of NAD⁺ metabolism and its central role in mitochondrial function and energy production. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 2021. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41580-020-00313-x

🔗 Connect with Nurse Doza:

JOIN MY SCHOOL for FREE: https://community.schoolofdoza.com/c/start-here

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwcKyagDi468WscAOWM5VHA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nursedoza/
Website: http://www.nursedoza.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-mendoza-dc-aprn-np-c-0609a038/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nursedoza
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nursedoza