And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

And man discovered fire. And he cooked his food over its flame, and warmed himself by its flickering light. And gathered around it with his family and his tribe to share stories and connection. And it was good.

And man created candles and oil lamps and other portable methods for fire. And he placed these miniature fires in his home to light his way. And the evening and the morning began to ever so slightly coalesce, that there was no distinct separation. And it wasn’t the best, but it was still pretty good.

And then electricity burst onto the scene and man created the light bulb. And the day and the night and the day were no longer separate. And ‘burning the midnight oil’ happened with the flick of a switch. And the brilliant idea of harnessing fire in a glass globe spread throughout the world. And it seemed good. And it seemed like progress. But was it?

And then.

In the name of progress and cost savings and THE FUTURE we changed that lightbulb into something efficient! and cheaper! and dimmable! and you can buy it in soft white, or bright white, or daytime. And the 60 watt equivalent bulb uses a fraction of the energy and you’re saving the planet. And yes, we know that the light ain’t quite right, and that your eyes hurt and your head hurts and you can’t concentrate if you sit under it for too long. BUT PROGRESS. It’s good for the environment! And your pocketbook!

And along the way the screens crept in. Small ones. Big ones. Computer ones and television ones. And even ones that you can carry in your pocket and DING and pull out DING whenever you want. And now DING it’s not just a phone but its THE INTERNETS IN YOUR POCKET and you don’t have to DING pay for phone call minutes DING anymore because it’s unlimited and DING and you can send messages to people all day long. And look at pictures. And videos of cats and epic fails and sportsball. And you can DING read books on it! And hey - you’ve always liked to DING read a book after you DING climb in bed. And now you can DING do it on your DING phone!! And when you’re done reading, you can DING put it on your nightstand and DING use it for your alarm clock so that DING when you roll over in the night you can see what time it is on the screen!

And NOW you can wrap a smaller screen around your wrist. and it can measure your heart beats. and your oxygen levels. and you can tell it about your mood. and it can tell you how bad you’re sleeping and how bad you’ve slept all week. And how many steps you still need to take today and remind you that it’s time to stand up and you haven’t stood up in a long time and WHY AREN’T YOU STANDING UP? ARE YOU ANTI-STANDETIC? and you can stare at that tiny screen on your wrist while you’re manipulating the other screen in your other hand with your thumb that keeps cramping up for some reason while you’re watching the big screen that’s hanging on your wall.

And God saw this,

and shook His head,

and painted another sunset across the sky,

and hoped that his kids would realize what they’d done.

—

This week on the podcast, I had a fascinating conversation with the CEO of Chroma (https://getchroma.co), a company that is quite literally reinventing the lightbulb. We talk about the harmful effects of artificial light and what they’re doing to help solve the problem. Check out the full episode:

Modern medicine has lost its way, and trust in the current health system is at an all-time low. I don’t blame you for being skeptical. The word “doctor” comes from the Latin root for “teacher.” As a naturopathic physician, my job isn’t to push pills; it’s to teach you how to dismantle the medical BS and take your health into your own hands.

Today, we need to address a silent toxin in your home: Artificial Light at Night (ALAN). This article is a companion to my latest podcast episode.

Watch Episode (25 minutes)

If you’re scrolling on your phone, tablet, or watching TV in the dark, you are unknowingly sabotaging your biology. We have been “light-polluted” since the lightbulb hit the scene, but our screens have taken it to an extreme. We are exposed to intensities that our ancestors never encountered, and it is destroying our circadian rhythm.

The “Why”: Why Your Brain is Screaming

Your body relies on a master internal clock located in the hypothalamus called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). This piece of machinery has a direct line of sight from your eyes through the optic nerve. When light hits your retina, the SCN receives a signal.

Think of melatonin and cortisol as a seesaw. Cortisol, the “get up and go” hormone, should be high in the morning and taper off by evening. Melatonin is the opposite—it is your sleep signal. Darkness is the trigger for melatonin.

Here is the problem: Modern light—especially blue light—is incredibly potent. Even a low-intensity light, as low as eight lux (about half the brightness of a standard hallway nightlight), is enough to suppress your melatonin production. If you’re staring at a smartphone or tablet in the dark, you’re exposing yourself to light intensity roughly 100 times brighter than the full moon. You are sending your brain a “mixed message” that says it is daytime, effectively shutting down the hormone you need for deep, restorative sleep.

The Evidence: Mitochondria and Beyond

The impact of this isn’t just “tiredness” the next morning. It goes down to the cellular level.

Melatonin is a vital signal to your mitochondria—the CEOs of your cells. Mitochondria manage energy production, waste processing, and oxidative protection. When you lack melatonin, you cannot produce enough of the SIRT3 enzyme, which is critical for energy production, DNA repair, and metabolism.

Furthermore, consider the cancer connection. We know cancer cells struggle to handle oxidative stress because they lack sufficient catalase (an enzyme that converts hydrogen peroxide into harmless water and oxygen). In a healthy cell, melatonin acts as a shield against oxidative damage. In a cancer cell, high levels of melatonin can act like a sword, pushing the cell past its limit to tolerate oxidative stressors. By failing to regulate your light exposure, you may be depriving your healthy cells of a protector while potentially failing to inhibit the mechanisms that allow cancer cells to survive.

Immediate Action: Here is What You Do Tomorrow

You don’t need a medical degree to fix this. You need to treat light like a toxin. If you want to take your health back, implement these four steps immediately:

1. The Two-Hour Rule: Stop all screen use (phones, tablets, computers) one to two hours before bed. If you need to read, use a physical book or an e-reader with an e-ink display that doesn’t emit backlight.

2. Dim the House: Stop leaving all your house lights on until the moment you crawl into bed. Install smart bulbs that you can program to automatically dim or turn to an amber/red spectrum after sunset.

3. Wear Blue Light Blockers: If you absolutely cannot avoid screens in the evening, invest in a quality pair of blue-light-blocking glasses. They aren’t a cure-all for poor habits, but they are a solid defensive measure.

4. Invest in a Real Sleep Mask: You cannot control every environment, but you can control your own. Get a high-quality, comfortable sleep mask (I personally use Manta) that blocks out 100% of light. This is your insurance policy for deep sleep.

Don’t take my word for it. Go research the connection between circadian rhythms and health outcomes. Science moves forward when we ask questions, not when we accept that “the science is settled.” Take charge of your environment—your health depends on it.

What a difference a year makes. It’s been way too long since I’ve put out an article here. I’d like to say it’s because I’ve been traveling the world, walking along beaches, and sipping tropical drinks. But…no. I’ve been pulled in other directions.

And mostly in the direction of my patients. Which I absolutely love. I think it’s somewhat rare for a person to feel “called” to be doing what they’re doing. I have been blessed to feel that many times in my (still early) career of being a naturopathic doctor.

There’s that old phrase that goes something like “the only thing that’s constant is change.” So I’m excited to announce a change that will be happening here.

Over the past several years, I’ve seen an uncomfortable trend. It was happening before 2020 for sure, and then the events of Covid were fuel on the fire. People don’t trust doctors. And I don’t blame them. The medical machine churned and burned through any remaining trust it held in the past six years.

But there are some of us who haven’t lost our way. I’d like to think that I’m one of them. As a naturopathic medical doctor, I’ve always been on the fringe. I’ve heard it all. “quack”, “What does ND stand for? Not a Doctor?” “blah” “blah” “blah”

Starting in July, I finally scratched an itch that’s been nagging me for months. I launched a solo podcast that I’m calling Think Well, Do Well with Dr. Alan Bradford. I want to restore some trust in medicine. And by medicine, I don’t mean drugs and surgery. I mean natural medicine. The kind that honors the body and gives the body what it needs. The kind that focuses on health and not disease. On function not symptom.

So I’m going to rebrand this Substack to align it with the podcast brand.

I’ll be sharing the video episodes here every week.

Over the weekend you’ll see some branding changes here. I hope you’ll stick around. I think you’ll like it.

The events of yesterday have rocked me to my core.

We have witnessed the ultimate manifestation of evil in the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Some that lurk among us have celebrated this event. Satan has a grasp around the hearts and minds and throats of those who rejoice in Charlie’s death.

Charlie died, not holding a gun, but a microphone. The bullet pas…

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In 1950, General Electric changed sleep patterns forever. With the release of their Clock-Radio Model 7H241, folks were first introduced to the Snooz-Alarm®. Previous alarm clocks rang and rang until you shut them off. This shiny new GE model allowed users to tap a bar on the top of the clock to silence the alarm for a period of 9 minutes before it rang…

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As a doctor, it’s important to recognize when you’ve been wrong and to correct this quickly and publicly.

In light of recent news of Covid surging again in multiple Asian countries, I have spent time digging into the latest research. I have to say, the data are compelling.

I am officailly changing my recommendations regarding getting up to date with mRNA …

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One of my favorite people in the world, Scott Adams, announced this week that he has metastatic prostate cancer. In his estimation, he won’t live past the summer.

This is a punch to the gut.

His Dilbert comics littered my desk back when I had a cubicle job. His books have influenced how I think and how I write1. His morning show, Coffee With Scott Adams, h…

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I wanted to welcome all of my new readers in the past week. It’s grown by 20% around here since last week’s article. Don’t worry - there’s still plenty of room. Stretch your legs, pull up a chair, and tell all your friends.

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Almost four years ago I shared a post here called “A Wartime Letter to My Children.” I have thought about this article at least ever…

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A lot of folks are now understandably hesitant about vaccinations considering the spectacle that was Covid. And if you’re new to questioning The Science®, you might be thinking to yourself that Covid was an anomaly.

It wasn’t.

In the past year I’ve had a few patients share the news that they’re having their first baby, followed by a question about whether…

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Two years ago, in the pages of Doctor’s Note, I shared an article about the health benefits of keeping a journal.

Today, I’m thrilled to report that since writing that post, I’ve maintained a 2-year streak of journaling every single day. This milestone isn’t just a number—it’s a testament to the power of consistency. Whether you’re aiming to boost your …

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Your thyroid gland is the master metabolic thermostat of the body. When your thyroid is functioning optimally, life is good. It’s easier to maintain a healthy body weight. Energy levels are high. Cognitive function is sharp. When your thyroid is on the fritz, you can feel like you’re trudging through six inches of mud in a broken pair of gas station flip flops. Life. Is. A. Drag.

In my experience, most doctors never take a great look at thyroid labs. In today’s article, I will share with you some lab markers that your doctor isn’t checking. For my paid subscribers, I’ll include a section at the end showing my optimal levels for each of these labs. Let’s dive in.

Major Functions of Thyroid Hormones

As a major player in the body’s metabolism, your thyroid is at the center of all things related to energy. Thyroid hormones will increase your metabolic rate—your ability to use fats and carbohydrates for energy. Thyroid hormones impact cardiovascular function, they stabilize mood, help you regulate body temperature, influence sex hormones like testosterone and estrogen, and support muscle growth and bone turnover.

Thyroid Labs to be Checking

This is a conversation I’ve had many times over. Plain and simple: most doctors are not ordering enough labs to fully evaluate thyroid function. Let’s say you go to your “annual physical” and your doc orders “a bunch of labs.” This annual lab panel will measure one—maybe two—thyroid markers. Your doctor will order “TSH with reflex to T4.”

In lab-speak, “with reflex to…” means that if the first marker comes back in “normal range”, then that’s as far as they’ll check. That’s all she wrote. Nothing to see here. The T4 is never measured, because it’s assumed that if TSH is normal, then everything else must be just fine. I’m here to tell you that this is the wrong way to do it. Normal isn’t optimal. Sadly, this happens over and over again in doctor offices all around the country.

At a minimum, there are six markers that should be checked. Here they are:

1. TSH - Thyroid Stimulating Hormone / The signal from the brain to your thyroid glad, telling it to make thyroid hormone. This hormonal signal is coming from the pituitary gland. This is like the boss telling his or her employees what to do. If the employees aren’t working efficiently, the boss raises his or her voice, and TSH goes up.

2. Free T4 / The major form of thyroid hormone that is produced in the thyroid gland itself. Labs can measure “total T4,” or “free T4”. I prefer to measure the “free”, as this is the form of T4 that is unbound and circulating in the blood stream.

3. Free T3 / For me, this is the rockstar of all the thyroid hormones. This is sometimes referred to as the “active” form of thyroid hormone. T4 is converted to T3 in the liver, and circulating T3 is what will attach to thyroid hormone receptors and do the work of the thyroid. A major function of T3 involves its influence in the mitochondria to produce cellular energy.

4. Reverse T3 / The metabolic garbage can for thyroid hormones. Under situations of stress, inflammation, poor nutrition, high cortisol, or lack of exercise, the body will do whatever it can to preserve energy. One way it does this is by diverting conversion of T4 to T3 by instead making Reverse T3. This is a metabolically inactive version of T3.

5. Thyroid antibodies (TPO, TG Ab) / A common reason for hypothyroidism (low-functioning thyroid) is an autoimmune condition known as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. The body’s immune defenses are misdirected toward the thyroid gland, lowering its function and potentially affecting metabolism. Two blood tests that can be run to detect this are Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPO) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TG Ab). TPO is an enzyme required in the creation of thyroid hormone T4. Thyroglobulin is a protein in the thyroid gland that helps you produce thyroid hormone T4. If either of these antibodies are elevated, this could mean Hashimoto’s or Grave’s Disease.

A phrase you’ll hear me say over and over is with better information, we make better decisions. Hormones are a complicated web of signals that run the entire body. Today’s article focuses on thyroid hormones specifically, but the thyroid certainly doesn’t operate in isolation. The human body is the most complicated system in the universe. Hopefully this helps you sort out a few details you didn’t know before. If you’ve ever been diagnosed with a thyroid issue, or suspect you may have one, find yourself a doctor who will run these labs for you. And if you can’t find one, maybe I can help!

Paid subscribers will have access below to my Optimal Thyroid Lab Values:

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I was married and in my 20s when I got my first flip phone. The Motorola Razr, with the satisfying *clunk* when you flipped it closed. I can still remember where I was when I sent my first text. I was sitting at an Arizona Diamondbacks game when I sent off that message to my friend. It probably took at least five minutes for me to scroll through the let…

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This week new research was published that breaks down common myths related to eating a low-carbohydrate or ketogenic diet. I found it to be a wonderful paper and I want to share it. Below I’ve summarized some of the myths and facts discussed by its authors. If you’d like to read the whole paper, there’s a link at the bottom of today’s article. It’s very…

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I really should stop asking people, “How are you doing?” It’s a pleasantry common in our culture when people meet or come together. The common responses are not very helpful in a doctor’s office. “Doing good!” “Can’t complain!” “Living the dream!” Unfortunately, when doctors evaluate lab work for their patients, it sort of resembles this meaningless exc…

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In our fast-paced, stress-saturated lives, finding ways to keep our sanity and strength intact is no small feat. Enter weight lifting—a solution that does more than just sculpt muscle. It rewires your hormonal balance, specifically the interplay between cortisol (the stress hormone) and DHEA (its anabolic counterpart), offering a biological edge against…

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Earlier this month, an interview took place between Del Bigtree and Naomi Wolf, where they discuss the uncovered data from the Pfizer covid vaccine safety trials. I finally got around to listening to it today, and I am fuming.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with these two, I’ll introduce them briefly. Del Bigtree is the host of a weekly show called …

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I heard this comment in a church meeting today: Principles are concentrated truth. I like this a lot. It got me thinking about my training as a naturopathic physician. One of the first things we learned were the six founding Principles of Naturopathic Medicine. If you're not familiar with these, here they are:

1. The healing power of nature

2. Identify and trea…

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I can relate to the Grinch on one topic: the noise, noiSE, NOISE! He despised it and retreated to his mountain cave where he could comiserate on his awful situation.

I don't have a mountain cave, but I can relate to the desire to escape the noise of the world for a little peace and quiet. Ours is a noisy world. And not just in terms of decibles. From the…

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Does life have meaning? Is there a purpose to the pain, trauma, disease, and heartache that we experience here? What’s the point and why are we here? Can we truly make a difference in the world, or are we just a small insignificant speck in the universe?

If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, you’ve been experiencing something called existential …

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