Our Health

What Is a Stem Cell?

By Chauncey Crandall, M.D.

Stem cells are the so-called “master cells” of the body that have the ability to develop into virtually any other type of cell. When a stem cell divides, each new cell can develop a specialized function such as a nerve cell, a skin cell, or a red blood cell. They can help repair the body by dividing to replenish cells damaged by disease, injury, or normal wear.

The use of stem cells — called “regenerative medicine” — is not new. Transplanted cells have been used for decades to battle various cancers, with the first therapies emerging 30 years ago. Currently, stem cell transplants are used in the treatment of leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.

In some cases, cancer patients receive very high doses of chemotherapy or radiation, which can kill tumors, but also wipe out stem cells in the bone marrow. Transplants help stimulate the growth of such cells.

Special: Stem Cells Are Changing Medicine. Here’s What You Should Know.

Stem cells can also reduce scar tissue and improve skin regeneration by boosting collagen production and enhancing the natural healing process.

Emerging stem cell research has shown promise against diabetes, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, vision problems, genetic defects, burns, and a host of other ailments.

And with regard to cardiovascular disease, there’s great excitement around the potential of stem cells to help regenerate the heart muscle in people suffering from congestive heart failure.

When Novak Djokovic talks about what transformed his career, he doesn't start with training. He starts with food.



When Dr. Mark Hyman explains why patients stay sick, he doesn't start with prescriptions. He starts with what's on their plate and what's on their mind.



And when Wim Hof teaches people to take back control of their immune system, he starts with something you already do 20,000 times a day: breathing.



We spent years interviewing 47 of the world's leading voices in health, psychology, and human potential for Transcendence — doctors, scientists, athletes, and teachers whose work has reached millions.



And across all 47 interviews, one message kept surfacing: your body is designed to heal, if you understand what's actually getting in its way.



That's what this series gives you. Not theories. Not trends. The practices these experts use themselves and teach to the people they help, laid out across 10 episodes you can watch completely free.



Starting September 10th, both seasons of Transcendence are streaming FREE for a limited time.



Save your seat HERE. >>



If you've ever wondered what the people at the top of this field would tell you if you could sit across from them and ask, this is your chance to find out.



In good health,

There's a phrase on egg cartons that costs you two to three times more than the carton beside it, and the USDA has no legal definition for it at all.



The phrase is "pasture-raised."



That's not a scandal on its own — pasture-raised eggs often are exactly what you'd hope. But with no federal standard behind the words, the words alone guarantee nothing. What makes the claim real is a certification seal printed next to it. So the difference between a meaningful $9 carton and a marketing $9 carton comes down to a small logo most of us have never looked for.



I went through the whole cooler. Here's what each label actually means.



Conventional. No welfare claim on the carton. In most states, that means battery cages, and each hen has less floor space than a sheet of paper.



Cage-free. Not in cages. Also not outside. Cage-free hens generally live their entire lives indoors, in barns that can hold tens of thousands of birds.



Free-range. This one does have a USDA requirement behind it — continuous outdoor access during the laying cycle. What the rule doesn't specify is how much outdoor space, or shared among how many birds. In a barn housing 200,000 hens, "outdoor access" can be a small screened porch that most of them never find.



Organic. A feed and treatment standard: organic feed, no antibiotics, plus an outdoor access requirement. It tells you a lot about what the hen ate and less about how she lived.



Non-GMO. Feed only. Says nothing about housing.



Pasture-raised. The one you probably want, and the one with no USDA definition. Under Certified Humane it means 108 square feet of actual pasture per bird, year-round. Under American Humane, 108.9. Without one of those seals, it means whatever the marketing department decided it means.



Vegetarian-fed. This is the one that surprised me, because it sounds like an upgrade and it's closer to the opposite. Hens are omnivores. On pasture they eat bugs, worms and grubs — and that's where a good share of the omega-3 in the yolk comes from. "Vegetarian-fed" is telling you the bird never got outside to eat what she's built to eat.



Hormone-free. Meaningless. It's illegal to give hormones to laying hens in the US. Every single egg in that cooler is hormone-free.



Brown or white. Breed of hen. That's the entire difference. Not nutrition, not quality, not freshness.



So does any of it change the egg? Less than the marketing suggests, and more than the skeptics allow.



The macros barely move. A pasture-raised egg has roughly the same protein, calories, fat and cholesterol as a conventional one.



The differences sit in the micronutrients and the fat quality. Research from Penn State and others has found pasture-raised eggs running two to four times higher in vitamin D — hens synthesize it in sunlight, the same way we do — along with meaningfully more omega-3s, vitamin E and beta-carotene.

Worth saying plainly: a fair amount of the comparative testing has been funded by farms and producers with a stake in the answer, and the independent literature is thinner than either side tends to admit. The vitamin D finding is the one that has held up most consistently.



This week at the cooler, skip the words on the front and look for a certification seal. "Pasture-raised" beside a Certified Humane or American Humane logo is a standard somebody audits twice a year. "Pasture-raised" on its own is a phrase somebody wrote.



And if you're buying eggs mainly for the nutrition, the difference lives in the yolk — so fewer certified pasture-raised eggs, whole yolk included, does more for you than more conventional ones.



Hit reply and tell me what your carton actually says. I'd genuinely like to know what people are finding, because the labels vary a lot by region, and I'll publish what comes back.

Just a quick reminder that our How to Stay Raw in Just About Any Circumstance webinar is today. If you are already registered, great! If not...

Have you found it challenging to stay raw, high raw, or plant-based while traveling or after moving to a new area? Can you be raw in the winter in a cold climate? Have you found yourself falling into old eating habits or having challenges making new ones stick? Would you like some help in starting or maintaining a raw or high raw vegan lifestyle?

We just experienced one of the most significant challenges we've had in years, that tested our abilities to maintain our raw vegan lifestyle. We look forward to sharing with you what we learned and how we created the mindset and resources to stay raw during this challenging time on our webinar:

How to Stay Raw in Just About Any Circumstance

This webinar is scheduled for today:

Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at:

9 AM Pacific Time

10 AM Mountain Time

11 AM Central Time

12 PM noon Eastern Time

5 PM British Summer Time

6 PM Central European Time

7 PM Eastern European Time


This is the fourth in our 2026 Summer Webinar Series! At the end, we'll be there to answer questions on the webinar topic.



In this webinar, you'll learn:

• How to find quality fresh fruits and vegetables in most areas
• How to prioritize your health and wellness even when life is happening around you
• The mindset trap that one can fall into, how to avoid it, and how to shift one's thinking
• How we have been able to find raw food anywhere we've traveled
• How to shift the "convenience mindset"
• How and why we have maintained and enjoyed our raw vegan approaches for decades
• Challenges we have experienced along the way and how we have addressed and overcome them
• How to resolve doubts about this lifestyle so you can feel a sense of freedom and experience your best health
• Why knowing this information is important for your health!

We invite you to join us:

https://event.webinarjam.com/o8210/register/q1vw8b7w



Healthfully yours,

You already put a lot of effort into taking care of your health.



You try to eat well, move your body, manage your stress, get enough sleep, take the supplements...



And somewhere along the way, taking care of your health can start to feel like one more full-time job.



Which is why, these days, I’m much more interested in the things that give us the biggest return for the effort we put in.



Especially in midlife!



And one area I don’t think we talk about nearly enough is protecting our mobility, strength, and spine BEFORE they start limiting the life we want to live.



My friend Ari Whitten is hosting a free training with Dr. Yonatan Whitten, who has spent more than 20 years helping people build stronger, more resilient bodies.



Join the FREE Healthy Spine Training here >>



One thing I really like about Dr. Whitten’s approach is that this isn’t about spending hours stretching, obsessing over perfect posture, or adding another complicated routine to your day.



He’s going to walk you through the 4 key factors that influence how your spine adapts and ages, including movement, strength, how your body handles load, and the positions you spend your days in.



And more importantly, he’ll show you where a few simple changes can make a meaningful difference over time.



Because I want us thinking beyond simply “not having back pain.”



I want you to be able to:

• Carry the groceries without thinking twice.
• Get down on the floor and back up again.
• Travel. Hike. Lift weights. Pick up your grandkids.

And still feel strong, mobile, independent, and at home in your body decades from now.



Save your spot for the FREE training here >>



Midlife asks enough of us already.



I’m all for finding the simple, high-impact things we can do now that make everything else easier later.



You can join Ari and Dr. Whitten for the free Healthy Spine Training Thursday at 4:30 PM PT.

THE “VIRUS” ILLUSION: How Radioactive Marks Became a Global Deception​

The genetic sequence of the virus was never observed. It was inferred from radioactive waste and built into a closed-loop system of scientific fraud to control society.​

Did you have a chance to tune in for Episode 5 on Heart Health?

This one had a big impact on a lot of our viewers last night. Did you know that heart disease is the NUMBER ONE killer in the modern world? In the United States alone, 2 out of 3 people will die from heart-related illnesses!

We don’t often think of this one as the scariest health threat to us humans, but it certainly is. Fortunately, there are many proven ways to nourish and protect your heart using medicinal foods and the right herbs!

If you haven’t had a chance to see it yet, use either of the two links below to watch the Replay of Episode 5 – it will be up until 9pm Eastern Time tonight!

Click here to watch Episode 5 - Watch Link A

Click here to watch Episode 5 - Watch Link B

Okay, what do we have coming up next?

In Episode 6, we'll be seeking out something that many of us humans need more of – ENERGY + SLEEP.

According to a new study, 4 out of 10 adults in the Western world are reporting feeling fatigued, and if you look at the number of more serious health conditions that can stem from fatigue… Well, let’s just say the list is long.

So how do we get more energy when we want it, and wind our bodies down into a peaceful rest and digest state at the end of the day, so we can get some delicious restorative sleep? From a dietary perspective, a good place to begin is by bringing more nutrient-dense foods and herbal remedies into our lives.

This is an area where holistic nutrition and natural medicine absolutely shine, as you’re about to see firsthand. We’ll be diving into a number of delicious recipes and formulas for more energy and the best night’s sleep you’ve ever had.

(Now, I’m a father of two – and energy and sleep can be hard to find. But the recipes in this episode have really helped my wife and I stay vital and thrive over the past ten years!)

I’ll be sending you more details - including your links to watch Episode 6 - later today. But in the meantime, make sure to watch Episode 5 while it’s still up!

Click here to watch Episode 5 - Watch Link A

Click here to watch Episode 5 - Watch Link B

Stay curious,


These are live links just click and watch

Hi Jimi,

What if you could stabilize your blood sugar, lower inflammation, and sharpen your brain -- all before 9am?

You can.

And right now, you can get the complete blueprint FREE:

➨ Click here now for your brand-new “7 Healthy Habits to Start Your Day” guide

This beautifully designed eBook brings together simple, science-backed morning rituals from leading experts like Dawson Church, Wim Hof, and 4x Freediving World Champion Stig Severinsen.

Inside, you’ll discover how to:

Use 5–10 minutes of morning sunlight to improve insulin sensitivity and metabolic signaling
Activate powerful anti-inflammatory pathways with gentle movement
Reset your nervous system in under a minute with intentional breathing
Trigger immune activation with brief, safe cold exposure
Build a breakfast that prevents cravings and energy crashes for hours

These are small shifts.

But when done consistently, they change your biology.

And that’s not all.

When you download the eBook here, you’ll also receive full and free access to the upcoming Transcendence online event.

This powerful event features respected health leaders like Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Josh Axe sharing breakthrough insights on:

• Metabolism
• Inflammation
• Stress resilience
• Immune strength
• Brain longevity

Plus, you’ll unlock nourishing, gluten-free breakfast recipes designed to support stable blood sugar and gut health, such as:

→ Protein-Packed Breakfast Muffins with greens & quinoa
→ Sweet Potato Pancakes that won’t spike your glucose
→ Antioxidant-Rich Banana, Oat & Blueberry Smoothie
→ A comforting Cinnamon & Raisin Loaf -- without inflammatory wheat

If you’ve been looking for a simple, practical reset… this is it.

So upgrade your mornings, support your cellular health in the process, and start your days in a way your future self will thank you for!

➨ Head here to download the FREE eBook + get full & free access to Transcendence

Finally, because the Sweet Potato Pancakes recipe in the new guide is really tasty and still incredibly good for you, as you'll see...

And because smiles and laughter are always "good medicine"...

Here are a few potato dad jokes that make my wife and kids laugh and are worth sharing with YOU...

What do you call a very attractive potato?

A hot potato.

And...

What do you call a fake potato?

Imi-tator.

And...

Why does almost everyone love sweet potatoes?

They're yammy!

Enjoy the important learning and great recipes in the 7 Healthy Habits to to Start Your Day guide, free for you right here along with full access to the forthcoing Transcedence, and enjoy your day!


To Living Long and Living Well,

Hi there, Jim,



Feeling sluggish, foggy, or just "old"? The surprising truth is that it might have less to do with your age and more to do with a handful of everyday habits - many of which are easy to fix. From how much water you're drinking to how much time you spend comparing yourself to others, small changes could make a real difference in how youthful you actually feel.



Read the full list of habits and how to break them → 6 habits that are making you feel older



To feeling your best,