health check Taking Care of Your Health Before It Forces You To | Episode 585 Good morning. It’s 35 degrees, it’s cold, and today we’re talking about something that doesn’t trend on YouTube and doesn’t get clicks like “grid down tomorrow” — your health. There’s a reason I’m covering this now. A guy I’ve known since I was about 11 passed away recently. Football teammate. Same schools. Long history. Early word is it may have been a cardiac event. And before we go any further — I am not saying any advice in this episode would have saved him. Sometimes things just happen. But if you’re neglecting your health? This is your wake-up call. You’re Not “Just Getting Old” I’m 44. And for a while I told myself the fatigue was normal. Weird sleep schedule. Overtime. Overnight shifts. Aches and pains. That’s just aging, right? That mindset is a trap. Yes, you shouldn’t run to the doctor for every sniffle. I didn’t. But you also shouldn’t just accept feeling like garbage as your new baseline. If you wake up tired every day. If your joints hurt constantly. If your energy is gone. That’s data. Don’t ignore it. Trying to Fix It Yourself (And When That Stops Working) If you’ve listened for a while, you know I’ve been troubleshooting my own health. Testosterone. Supplements. Methylated vitamins. Higher-dose vitamin D. Peptides. Cutting things out. Adding things in. Tracking symptoms with ChatGPT. Logging fatigue, flare-ups, lab numbers, theories. Some things helped briefly. Some did nothing. Some made things worse. At some point, you have to admit: you’re guessing. I finally used telehealth through my terrible insurance and got bloodwork done. Electrolytes, kidney function, autoimmune markers. Most came back fine. Except two didn’t. ANA positive.
Anti–double stranded DNA positive (low positive). Those markers can point toward autoimmune issues. Possibly lupus. I’m not self-diagnosing. I’m seeing a rheumatologist. But I finally have data instead of guesses. That matters. Don’t Wait Until It’s Out of Control Here’s the prepper lesson. We stock food before we’re starving.
We store water before we’re thirsty.
We build first aid kits before we’re bleeding. But most people ignore their blood pressure, ignore chronic fatigue, ignore pain, ignore lab work — until it explodes. At minimum:
- Get bloodwork once a year.
- Know your baseline numbers.
- Track changes over time.
- If something’s off, address it early.
You don’t even have to rely entirely on a doctor to initiate it. There are affordable lab services where you can order panels yourself and see the numbers. That yearly snapshot alone is powerful. Preparedness includes your body. Stop White-Knuckling It For months, the only thing helping me push through fatigue was kratom. Say what you want — it helped me function. But that’s a band-aid. It’s not a diagnosis. White-knuckling your way through work, overtime, parenting, life — that’s not strength. That’s deferred maintenance. If you wouldn’t run your truck with the oil light on for six months, don’t do it to your body. You are the most important piece of gear you own. Final Thoughts I don’t know yet what’s going on with me. Maybe it’s autoimmune. Maybe it’s iron depletion. Maybe it’s something else entirely. What I do know is this: ignoring it wasn’t working. Take care of your health before it forces you to.
Get the data. Make informed decisions.
And stop pretending feeling terrible is just part of getting older. This is James from SurvivalPunk.com.
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