APOE4: Beat the Odds

Originally published on YouTube on 21 March 2026.
Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btrclmF2SE0

Your standard lipid panel isn't built for APOE4 carriers. And your doctor's targets? Probably not aggressive enough.

In this episode, Dr. Grant Fraser, a physician and fellow APOE4 carrier, breaks down how he manages lipids for his APOE4 patients. We cover lipid testing, ApoB targets, statins, other medications, diet, lifestyle and supplements, followed by questions from the Phoenix Community.

ABOUT DR. GRANT FRASER
Board-certified in family medicine and anti-aging and regenerative medicine, with 29 years of clinical experience at the time of recording. He is also an APOE4 carrier and a Phoenix Community member.
YouTube: @DrApoE4

RESOURCES
Apply to join Phoenix: https://apoe4.link/Lipid
Essential APOE4 Guide: https://apoe4.link/LipidG
Weekly Newsletter: https://apoe4.link/LipidN

CHAPTERS
00:00 Episode Trailer
01:05 Introduction
02:07 APOE4 & Lipid Risk Overview
05:38 Lipid Testing & Markers
13:18 Treatment Overview (Statins)
22:35 Additional Medications
30:29 Diet, Lifestyle & Supplements Overview
36:16 Biggest Lifestyle Levers
40:24 Supplements That Actually Help
44:02 Audience Q&A

Originally published on YouTube on 5 August 2026.

Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMWdfTwbRS8

A shingles vaccination program in Wales became a natural experiment in dementia risk. I walk through the evidence, the independent replication in Australia, the newer Shingrix findings, and the unanswered questions for APOE4 carriers.

Why might a rash shot touch your brain? Two competing theories are suppressing a hidden virus and trained immunity. No study in this episode tested the effect specifically in APOE4 carriers, the stronger-in-women pattern did not replicate everywhere, and protection fades over time.

This is education, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about what's right for you.

RESOURCES

Apply to join Phoenix: https://apoe4.link/Shingles

Essential APOE4 Guide: https://apoe4.link/ShinglesG

Weekly Newsletter: https://apoe4.link/ShinglesN

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

00:44 Chapter 1: The accidental experiment

01:30 Why This Matters for Carriers

05:05 Chapter 2: Why this beats correlation

07:08 Australia

08:44 Chapter 4: The Korean meta-analysis check

10:57 Chapter 5: Recombinant Shingrix beats the live shot

12:29 Chapter 6: How the shingles vaccine helps at every stage

14:42 Chapter 7: VZV reactivation and neuroinflammation

16:33 Chapter 8: Two theories, one measurable dial

24:12 Does it only work for women?

26:33 Chapter 9: What to do before the 2029 trial

26:55 The practical takeaway

28:27 Conclusion

STUDIES

1. Eyting et al., 2025, Nature: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12058522/

2. Xie et al., 2025, Cell: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12851904/

3. Taquet et al., 2024, Nature Medicine: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11485228/

4. Pomirchy et al., 2025, JAMA: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12019675/

5. Maggi et al., 2025, Age and Ageing: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12636520/

6. Yeh et al., 2024, Alzheimer's Research & Therapy: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11323373/

7. Oh et al., 2026, Alzheimer's & Dementia: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13084529/

8. Huang & Gu, 2025, Trends in Neurosciences: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2025.07.003

9. Ma et al., 2025, Drug Discoveries & Therapeutics: https://doi.org/10.5582/ddt.2025.01032

10. Wu et al., 2026, Vaccines (modelling): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13211504/

11. DAN-ZOSTER randomized trial: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07485283

Originally published on YouTube on 27 July 2026.

Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEfFx-m_Ppc

Hearing loss is easy to overlook when you're focused on ApoB, glucose, sleep and training. In this episode I walk through the dementia evidence, the ACHIEVE trial, what effective hearing aids change, and the four-step hearing plan I'd run myself.

I'm Kevin. I'm a Doctor of Pharmacy and I carry two copies of APOE4.

RESOURCES

Apply to join Phoenix: https://apoe4.link/Hear

Essential APOE4 Guide: https://apoe4.link/HearG

Weekly Newsletter: https://apoe4.link/HearN

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

03:32 Chapter 1: How big this actually is

05:21 Does Your Genotype Get You Out of It?

06:27 Using DNA to Test Cause

08:24 Chapter 2: How your ears drag your brain down

08:40 Road One: Effortful Listening

09:42 Road Two: It Takes the Room

11:08 Roads Three and Four: Cause, Catalyst, or Consequence

13:14 Chapter 3: Does fixing it work, and how?

13:25 The Trial That Looked Like a Failure

17:36 Effectiveness Is the Whole Game

19:19 The four-step hearing protocol

20:59 Chapter 4: The honest caveat, and what to do anyway

21:11 The Study That Complicates Everything

22:48 What Happens if I’m Wrong

24:17 Conclusion

STUDIES

1. Lin FR et al., 2023, Lancet (ACHIEVE RCT): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10529382/

2. Pike JR et al., 2025, Alzheimer's & Dementia (ACHIEVE, risk-stratified): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12078761/

3. Jiang F et al., 2026, Cell Reports Medicine: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13198310/

4. Liang Z et al., 2021, Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8295986/

5. Jiang F et al., 2024, BMC Medicine: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11542226/

6. Levett BA et al., 2025, Journal of Neurology: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12084262/

7. Venkatesh S et al., 2026, Journals of Gerontology B: https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaf276

8. Zanin J et al., 2026, JAMA Otolaryngology: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13220155/

9. Shulman LM et al., 2026, BMJ Open (ARCH protocol): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13202049/

10. Lancet Commission 2024: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01296-0

This is education, not medical advice. I'm telling you what the research shows and what I do as a carrier.

Originally published on YouTube on 14 September 2026.
Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkUqj8Crzbg

Half of this community asked me the opposite question I expected. Not how to get their blood pressure down. Whether theirs is already too low, and whether it is starving their brain.

Several had been told exactly that by their own neurologist. So I took it to the researcher whose name is on the new analysis.

Dr. Jeremy Pruzin is a cognitive and behavioral neurologist and physician-researcher at Banner Alzheimer's Institute, and Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix. He trained in cognitive neurology at Mass General Brigham and Harvard, and he runs a twenty one million dollar federally funded biomarker study inside the SPRINT blood pressure trial.

Every question in this hour came from a member of The Phoenix Community, by name.

WANT YOUR QUESTION IN THE NEXT INTERVIEW?

That is the whole point of the community. You join, you ask, and I take it to the person who actually studies it.
https://apoe4.link/JeremyP1

🔗 RESOURCES:
→ Free APOE4 Guide: https://apoe4.link/JeremyP1G
→ Weekly Newsletter: https://apoe4.link/JeremyP1N

A NOTE ON WHAT THIS IS

This is an educational conversation. It is not medical advice and it does not create a doctor-patient relationship with anyone watching. Members shared their own readings and their own diagnoses in the thread, so I used their first names and then asked Dr. Pruzin the general version of each question. Nobody is being treated on camera. Take this to your own physician and have a better appointment than you would have had.

Dr. Pruzin also runs his own group, the Preventing Alzheimer's Community, which runs webinars on treatments, blood tests and prevention trials. That is his, not mine: https://pacocommunity.com/

WHAT WE COVER

00:00 Teaser
00:54 Podcast Introduction
01:51 The one risk factor nobody is tracking
03:27 Why blood pressure, out of everything in Alzheimer's research
05:44 What high blood pressure physically does to your brain
09:39 Baseline MRI for APOE4 carriers: worth it or not?
12:17 Amyloid in your blood vessels: microbleeds, siderosis, and blood thinner risk
15:37 What the SPRINT trial actually was
20:34 Do the SPRINT results apply if you're not high-risk?
23:55 The APOE4 analysis, and what it does and does not show
27:17 Absolute vs. relative risk reduction, explained with a discount analogy
29:52 When low blood pressure is fine, and when it's not
39:24 How to actually measure your blood pressure correctly
41:42 Arm cuff vs. central pressure vs. pulse pressure
44:20 His personal BP target, and when treatment should start
47:41 Do wearables like the Oura ring measure this accurately?
48:52 Do BP supplements and nitric oxide boosters actually work?
52:48 His single piece of advice for every APOE4 carrier
55:34 Outro

Originally published on YouTube on 25 August 2026.

Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBEE0VZXWfM

Creatine for APOE4 carriers: can a $15 supplement actually help your brain? Here's what the real randomized trials show, including the one that found nothing.

Most people still think creatine is just a gym supplement. But the human brain data has quietly gotten interesting, and it matters more for APOE4 carriers than almost anyone. Why? Because the APOE4 brain tends to run low on energy decades before any symptom shows up, and creatine is, at its core, brain fuel.

I'm Kevin, a Doctor of Pharmacy, and I carry APOE4/4. I'll give you the effect sizes, the sample sizes, and the holes in the data, then you decide if it's a smart bet.

This is education, not medical advice. Talk to your own clinician.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 The Brain Fuel Problem

01:05 The Creatine Roadmap

01:55 Why I'm telling you this

03:46 Chapter 1: Main Findings

10:55 Chapter 2: Why It Matters

15:28 Chapter 3: What to do

23:47 Chapter 4: The Honest Part

27:09 Conclusion

STUDIES

1. Gordji-Nejad et al., 2024: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54249-9

2. Smith et al. (CABA pilot), 2025: https://doi.org/10.1002/trc2.70101

3. Taylor et al. (CABA bioenergetics), 2026: https://doi.org/10.1002/trc2.70228

4. Xu et al., 2024: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1424972

5. Prokopidis et al., 2023: https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuac064

6. Farmer et al., 2021: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13024-021-00483-y

7. Budny et al., 2025: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-025-03550-w

8. Rijpma et al., 2018: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2018.01.031

9. Alves et al., 2013: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0076301

10. Taylor et al. (protocol), 2024: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-024-01469-5

11. Li, 2026: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2025.1687719

RESOURCES

Apply to join Phoenix: https://apoe4.link/CreatineRCT

Essential APOE4 Guide: https://apoe4.link/CreatineRCT-G

Weekly Newsletter: https://apoe4.link/CreatineRCT-N

Originally published on YouTube on 3 September 2026.

Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCSbRP03j3U

Your birthday doesn’t decide whether you start or stop hormones. Your arteries, bones, and health numbers do.

This is Part 2 of my Q&A with Steve Goldring, RPh, a licensed pharmacist with 30+ years of experience compounding menopause hormones and training clinicians who prescribe them.

Part 1 covered menopause, the 2002 WHI study, what’s changed, and hormone options, doses, and forms.

Watch Part 1 first: https://apoe4.link/TherapyY

I am Dr. Kevin Tran, Doctor of Pharmacy. I carry APOE4/4, and I built The Phoenix Community because I needed it first.

Get the free APOE4 Woman's Guide: https://thephoenix.community/guides/womens-guide

PHOENIX

Build your personal protocol, track progress and learn with carriers like you.

Apply to join Phoenix: https://apoe4.link/SteveQnA2

MORE RESOURCES

Essential APOE4 Guide: https://apoe4.link/SteveQnA2G

Weekly Newsletter: https://apoe4.link/SteveQnA2N

STEVE'S LINKS

YouTube: @SimpleHormones

Instagram: @thehormonepharmacist

His program, Seven Steps to Clarity and Confidence About Hormones: The Menopause Solution: https://www.simplehormones.com/

WHAT WE COVER

00:00 Teaser

00:20 Podcast introduction

03:46 Recap: What Part 1 covered

05:26 Is it too late? Five community questions on starting HRT late

06:49 Why women's heart risk catches up to men's by 60

09:22 How plaque builds up, and the tests that show it

11:38 How to measure plaque: CAC scan vs. CIMT test

14:38 Transdermal vs. oral estradiol and blood clot risk

16:04 Best time to start HRT

18:47 Starting Hormones 10 Years After Menopause

20:53 Do Hormone Benefits Change If You Start Late?

22:58 Which Menopause Symptoms Get Better or Worse?

24:04 Hysterectomy and Early Menopause

26:26 Should You Stop Hormones at 60 or 65?

29:50 High cardiovascular risk? What's still on the table

32:44 How to Stop Being Dismissed by Your Doctor

34:57 Steve's HRT Questions Framework, and the cheat sheet that builds trust fast

38:40 Finding a Doctor Who Understands Hormones

41:38 Being more directive with your doctor when you're already informed

49:30 The Big Five hormones, and his estradiol target

54:23 Recommended blood tests & target levels (estradiol/progesterone) + APOE4-specific thyroid (T3/Free T3) note

01:00:39 What to test if you carry APOE4, and blood vs. saliva vs. urine

01:06:16 SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) deep dive

01:10:16 Dosing to relieve symptoms vs. dosing to optimal blood levels

01:12:11 Vaginal estrogen vs. systemic estrogen risk

01:14:03 Compounding pharmacies vs. Big Pharma, Bi-Est and cream bases

01:19:17 A bad compounded batch: QA and how to vet a compounding pharmacy

01:23:28 Natural vs. chemical framing

01:25:16 Where to find Steve, and Kevin's closing line

01:28:26 Outro

Originally published on YouTube on 13 August 2026.

Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJV7O5hnKos

One 2002 study shaped how millions of women think about menopause hormone therapy.

In Part 1/2, I sit down with Steve Goldring, RPh, The Hormone Pharmacist, to unpack what the Women's Health Initiative actually found, how pills, patches, gels, vaginal estrogen and pellets differ, and why taking hormones and not taking them both involve trade-offs.

Get the free APOE4 Woman's Guide: https://thephoenix.community/guides/womens-guide

RESOURCES:

Apply to join Phoenix: https://apoe4.link/Therapy

Essential APOE4 Guide: https://apoe4.link/TherapyG

Weekly Newsletter: https://apoe4.link/TherapyN

More about Steve Goldring

The Menopause Solution: Your 7-Step Roadmap to Feeling Like Yourself: https://apoe4.link/stevegoldring

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SimpleHormones

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Opening highlights

00:29 Podcast introduction

03:16 The Conversation

07:39 The Women's Health Initiative: What Went Wrong?

11:58 Does HRT Really Increase Breast Cancer Risk?

16:08 Why the FDA Removed HRT Warnings

20:48 Can Women With a History of Breast Cancer Take HRT?

26:15 Is Duavee a Better Alternative to Progesterone?

29:10 Different HRT Options & Common Mistakes

34:05 What's the Best HRT Method & Can You Combine Them?

39:32 Does Hormone Stability Matter for Brain Health?

43:40 Why Are Estrogen Patches Wearing Off Too Soon?

46:53 Can Estrogen Patches Survive Heat, Sweat & Swimming?

48:44 How Should You Apply Estrogen Cream?

51:30 Should You Increase HRT If You Have No Symptoms?

56:26 What If You Can't Tolerate Progesterone?

01:03:22 Why Are Hot Flashes Coming Back?

01:06:31 Testosterone Replacement for Women and Men

01:11:30 Outro

John lost both his parents to Alzheimer's. His mom. Then his dad. He retired early to care for his father, watched the disease take everything, and then got his own genetic test.

The result? APOE 3/4 carrier.

Most people would spiral. John did the opposite. He overhauled his entire life (diet, exercise, supplements, sleep, alcohol, wearables) and joined The Phoenix Community to find others on the same path.

In this conversation, John shares:

- What it was like caring for both parents through Alzheimer's

- How genetic counseling became the spark that changed everything

- The alcohol realization most APOE4 carriers relate to

- Why he retired at 55 and made health his full-time mission

- His p-tau test results (and why he was brave enough to take it)

- How the Neuronic photobiomodulation study became a daily habit

- His advice for busy people who can't go "all in"

- Why Phoenix became his "genetic family"

John's philosophy is simple: even if none of this prevents Alzheimer's, these are still the best 13 years of his life. And that's worth everything.

📚 RESOURCES

→ Join the Phoenix Community: https://apoe4.link/John

→ Free APOE4 Guide: https://apoe4.link/JohnG

→ Weekly Newsletter: https://apoe4.link/JohnN

Timestamps :

00:00 Introduction

00:30 John shares his experience with his parents who had Alzheimer’s

03:01 Getting tested for the APOE4 gene

13:40 How the APOE4 result changed his life

17:25 The lifestyle changes he made after the test

26:32 Alzheimer’s biomarker p tau test

30:40 Advice for people who do not have time for prevention

35:35 The brain health technologies he uses

44:00 How he stays motivated to stay healthy

51:44 The importance of community for APOE4 carriers

Dr. Gertrude Behan spent decades as a family medicine physician in Australia. She diagnosed patients with Alzheimer's. She saw firsthand how little the medications helped.

Then in 2016, she diagnosed her own mother.

Two years later, while battling breast cancer and searching for the BRCA gene, she discovered something else: she carries APOE4.

In this Phoenix Member Stories episode, Dr. Behan shares:

→ The moment she diagnosed her mother (and what happened next)

→ Why discovering APOE4 after her mother's diagnosis felt "believable"

→ How she juggles breast cancer prevention AND Alzheimer's prevention

→ Her surprisingly skeptical view on supplements (as a doctor)

→ Why she says "do it now" (the 6-8 years realization)

→ The "wild variant" reframe: APOE4 carriers as tough humans built for survival

→ Her current stack: activated B vitamins, vitamin D, NR (and why she's tempted by lithium)

→ Why she thinks APOE4 testing should be population-wide at age 30

→ Her message to anyone who just found out they carry the gene

📚 RESOURCES

→ Join the Phoenix Community: https://apoe4.link/Gertrude

→ Free APOE4 Guide: https://apoe4.link/GertrudeG

→ Weekly Newsletter: https://apoe4.link/GertrudeN

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Episode Trailer

01:20 Podcast Introduction – Gertrude Behan and Her Work

02:32 Diagnosing Her Mother with Alzheimer’s & Learning She Has the ApoE4 Gene

05:10 Researching Alzheimer’s & Treatment Options

07:20 Finding Positivity After Learning About ApoE4

09:25 Diet, Exercise & Alcohol and Brain Health

12:38 Fat, Glucose & Entering Ketosis

17:50 Phoenix Community Health Tracking App

20:18 Managing ApoE4 and Breast Cancer Together

22:08 How to Choose the Right Health Interventions

24:21 Cognitive Testing, Brain Training & Placebo Effect

31:37 How Dr. Behan Evaluates Supplements

39:10 Lithium Research & Final Thoughts

She spent 30 years as an intelligence analyst — investigating biological weapons, briefing senators, training a generation of researchers. Then she found out she carries APOE4. This is what she did next.

In this episode, I sit down with Robin P. Shwetzer (NBC-HWC, FMCC, ReCODE Certified Coach) to walk through how she went from a 23andMe result 13 years ago to running a precision health coaching practice for APOE4 carriers and people in early cognitive decline.

🔬 About Robin:

Robin spent three decades as a U.S. intelligence analyst, including work on biological and chemical weapons programs. She's now a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, a Functional Medicine Certified Coach, and a ReCODE Certified Coach (Dr. Bredesen's protocol for cognitive decline reversal). She lives in Tampa, Florida.

🧬 About Phoenix:

Phoenix is the first precision health platform built for APOE4 carriers. If you carry APOE4 (or suspect you might), you don't have to figure this out alone.

🔗 RESOURCES:

→ Join the Phoenix Community: https://apoe4.link/Robin

→ Free APOE4 Guide: https://apoe4.link/RobinG

→ Weekly Newsletter: https://apoe4.link/RobinN

📱 Instagram: @dr.kevintran

🎙️ New episodes every week.

We cover:

00:00 Introduction

01:08 Trailer

02:21 Meet Robin (and why this conversation is different)

04:06 Robin's Father & the Origin of Her Health Journey

05:09 Discovering ApoE4 – First Reactions & Early Community

07:45 Finding Dr. Bredesen when the protocol was still called MEND

08:56 Brain Fog, Pre-Diabetes & How Keto Changed Everything

11:12 The Fasting Mimicking Diet (Dr. Valter Longo's protocol)

15:13 Tips for Getting Into Ketosis Without the Struggle

20:32 What Is Keto Flu & How to Prevent It

24:41 From Intelligence Analyst to Health Researcher – The Methodology

30:46 What It's Like to Work With Robin as a Coach

38:31 How to Read a Medical Study & Spot Bias in 60 Seconds

40:31 Robin's Personal Protocol – Diet, Exercise & Supplements

43:49 Robin's Experience With the Phoenix Community

47:30 Advice for Newly Diagnosed ApoE4 Carriers

#APOE4 #BrainHealth #Bredesen #Longevity #Keto #FastingMimicking #PrecisionHealth #PhoenixCommunity